The Gods Sons and Daughters
by pottermaniafan
Summary: Nico di Angelo says he has a plan to defeat Kronos and Luke. Let's just hope we all live long enough to complete the plan. - Percy Jackson takes place right after Battle of Labyrinth Percy/Annabeth Nico/Rachel Update in progress!
1. I Flood My Apartment

**Author's Note: Okay, this chapter had a major mistake in it concerning Nico De Angelo. Thanks to those people who commented and brought it to my attention. I fixed it up. Tell me what you think. Thanks!**

I Flood My Apartment

Nico di Angelo sat across from me, shoveling blue birthday cake into his mouth without stopping to take a breath. He had just shown up on my fire escape, claiming to have found a way to beat Luke and, I was hoping, possibly destroy the Titan, Kronos. I sat rather impatiently as he ate. Honestly I just wanted him to finish up and tell me his idea.

When I had invited Nico in, Tyson barreled into him, squeezing the kid until he couldn't breathe. Nico pretended to be annoyed, but I could tell that he had really enjoyed the fact that Tyson had missed him. My mom, on the other hand, had seemed nervous to have Nico inside. After all, he was clad all in black and the skull ring he wore didn't really help my mom feel comfortable around him. I had to take her aside and talk to her.

"Mom, Nico isn't just any friend," I told her. "He's a…" but my mom finished the sentence for me.

"A demigod." My mom sighed. I felt really sorry for her. The more demigods I introduced to her, the more she had to worry about. It was bad enough that she sent me out each day wondering if I would make it to the next without worrying about my unfortunate friends as well. She had met Annabeth, who she worried about just as much as me. Nico was one more kid that was endanger every time he breathed. Even though I didn't tell her, I knew that he was in more danger then most of the other demigods.

"Who is his parent?" my mom asked.

I looked around uncomfortably. Nico's parent was another one of the big three, a god that had sworn not to have children. But all two of them had broken their promise. Zeus had a demigod daughter, who I had met and became friends with, though I hadn't seen her in more than a year. My father, Poseidon, was another of the big three, so I was not supposed to be alive. The other was Hades, the god of the underworld. Nico was Hades son. He technically was born before the promise was made. I'm still not exactly sure what happened to him and his sister that had made them stay young. I knew they'd stayed at a casino, one that I hated, but they had been called out by a man.

Nico had had a sister, Bianca. It pained me to think about her. She had died on a quest with me. Nico had blamed me for her death, until a few months ago when Bianca had appeared to Nico and told him that it wasn't my fault. Any way, children of the big three were in more danger than the other demigods because there was a prophesy about one of us, saying that when we reached the age of sixteen, we would either destroy Kronos, or make it possible for him to come to full power. Thalia, Zeus's daughter, had managed to escape the prophecy by joining Artemis's huntresses, stopping herself from ever aging. That had left me. But now, Nico had been drawn into the picture. Most people don't understand that Nico was born before the promise was made. I knew that the prophecy was still about me, but other people didn't. Kronos didn't know, but he did know that Nico is a son of Hades which was very, very bad. I didn't think I should tell my mom whose son Nico was. The less people that knew, the better it was for Nico.

"I don't think I can tell you," I answered my mom quietly. My mom didn't push it, which was a very nice thing about her. She understood that many things about my life and those of the other demigods had to be kept extremely secret. Even though I didn't tell her, I felt it was pretty pointless. Almost everyone at camp now knew that Nico was a son of Hades. Being a son of Hades was even worse than just a "regular" child of the big three. It made you an outcast. Even some of the other gods hated Nico. I mean, plenty of them hate me, but Nico's got it worse then I do.

My mom looked over at Nico, who had now started on his second piece of cake. "He seems very thin. Has he been at camp? Don't they feed you kids enough there?"

"Well, he hasn't really been at camp. He sort of visited a couple of times."

I realized that I had said a little too much. My mom's eyebrows rose up her forehead and she looked at Nico with concern and pity. "I understand," she whispered, "It's a big three, isn't it?"

I shrugged, looking down at my feet. My mom studied my face and then, to my shock, her face paled. Her eyes looked sad and she bit her lip. She whispered softly, "Is… is Nico your brother?"

I stared in bewilderment at my mom. She looked almost scared. For the first time I could remember, I wondered if my mom was still in love with my dad. But that wasn't possible. She was going out seriously with Paul Blofis and they were happy together. Of course, compared to my dad, Paul was not particularly handsome, strong, or powerful. But he was something that my dad could never be. He was devoted to my mom and ready to be with her forever. Paul would be able to be with her and make her happy. I knew, because Paul had told me that he wanted to marry her. But I guess, even if she loved Paul, she still couldn't help feeling for my dad.

I looked her in the eye and replied, "Mom, Nico is not my brother."

My mom immediately relaxed. She sighed and smiled softly, almost to herself. But it quickly disappeared when she looked at Nico again. Her eyebrows contracted as she stared at him. She turned and looked me sharply before grabbing me and pulling me down the hall toward my room. Paul looked up from the table, where he was talking with Tyson and Nico happily. "Is something wrong, Sally?"

"Oh, no!" my mom said in a falsely cheery voice. "I just need to talk to Percy for a minute."

My mom closed the door with a snap and turned to me. She put both her hands on my shoulders, her eyes full of worry and concern. "Percy, why are you hanging around with that boy?"

"What?" That was the only thing I could say. I was completely bewildered.

"I thought there was more sense in you! That boy is dangerous!"

"No he isn't!" I shot back, angry that my mom would jump to such a conclusion. "He is just like any other demigod."

"With a father like his? The god of the dead? If Hades decided he wanted you dead, that boy would be in a perfect place to do so!"

"His name is Nico! And he would never do anything like that! Besides, I go to camp with a bunch of demigods whose parents hate my guts! And I hang out with Annabeth. Her mom doesn't particularly like me."

My mother started pacing. "I trust Annabeth. But I don't know enough about this boy."

"How many demigods do you know, mom! One? I go to camp with tons of them and you don't do a background check on any of them!"

Just then, Paul came thundering down the hall, followed by Tyson. My mom burst into tears and flung herself onto Paul. Tyson looked at me sadly, almost as if he was disappointed in me. That just made me even angrier.

"Percy?" Paul asked angrily, "what happened? Why were you yelling at your mother? What was all that about demigods?"

By then I had completely lost my head. I did the worst thing I could have done. I yelled everything. "You want to know something about demigods? I'll tell you! I'm a demigod! My dad is Poseidon, the god of the sea!"

"Percy! Stop!" my mother sobbed.

I wish I had, but I didn't. "I can control water! See!" I stretched out my hand and the sink and the toilet burst in the bathroom across the hall. "Tyson is my brother, a Cyclopes!" Tyson started to cry as well. "I have to fight stupid monsters that can't die! Minotaurs, empousai, and Kampe! And Kronos is back and I have to figure out how to defeat him!"

Paul stared at me as though I was a lunatic. Of course, to him, I probably was. My mom was crying harder than before. Water was streaming into the bedroom from the bathroom. Suddenly, Nico was beside me. He grabbed my arm and stared me in the face. "Percy! We have to get out of here!"

The next second I was nothing. I was no longer Percy Jackson. I didn't have a body. I felt as though I had been frozen and shattered into a million pieces. The only thing that I was sure of was a cold, hard object against the palm of my hand, if I had a hand. Everything was just a gray blur. That's about when I lost consciousness.


	2. I’m Part of a Rendezvous

I don't know how long I was unconscious

I'm Part of a Rendezvous

I don't know how long I was unconscious. I was lying on my back and my arms and legs felt like led. My head was pulsing and my brain felt frozen. Somebody was poring nectar down my throat. I heard someone talking and after awhile I realized it was Nico, but I had no idea what he was talking about.

"…harder on him then I thought it would be," Nico was saying. "I didn't even get a chance to explain."

"Why not?" asked a familiar voice, though I couldn't pinpoint whose it was. I hadn't heard it in a long time.

There was a pause. "Well," Nico said, "he kind of flooded his apartment."

"What?"

"He and his mom got in a fight. Then his mom's boyfriend asked what was going on and Percy started screaming about being a demigod. He yelled a bunch of monsters names, so I had to get him out of there before any showed up."

"Stupid Seaweed Brain!" another voice yelled.

I knew who that was. "Annabeth?" I croaked. My voice was very sore. All the voices around me went quiet. Very slowly, I opened my eyes, only to be blinded by sunlight. I groaned and closed them again. Somebody was kneeling next to me. "Percy?" I opened my eyes again and saw that it was Annabeth. I smiled half-heartedly before closing my eyes again.

"Percy, how do you feel?"

"I really don't know," I answered. "Not too good. What happened?"

When nobody said anything I opened my eyes again. For the first time, I took in my surroundings. I was in a small forest surrounded by a bunch of people. Annabeth was, like I said, kneeling beside me. Nico was standing just to my right, frowning down at me. Another girl was kneeling beside Annabeth. I stared at her for a moment. "Thalia?"

"Hello, Percy. It's good to see you. How was your birthday? From what Nico says it was pretty exciting."

I rolled my eyes and slowly sat up on my elbow, looking around at all the people. They were all girls, except for Nico, and I suddenly felt very self-conscious. And then I realized who the girls were. They were Artemis's Hunters or Huntresses, whatever you want to call it. Artemis was standing beside Nico. This was too much all at one for me. One moment I was standing in my room, blowing up the pipes, and then I was lying on my back surrounded by girls in the middle of the day. "Whoa!" I said. "Can someone please tell me how I got here?"

Everyone looked at Nico. He looked around uncomfortably and then he sat down and stared me in the face. "Okay, Percy. To start, you were being really stupid back there. Thank you for doing what you did, but I expect your mom's behavior from everyone."

"Wait a second," Annabeth interrupted. "What did Percy's mom do?"

I sat up quickly, but Nico smiled and said, "Sorry, Annabeth. But that's just between Percy, his mom, and unfortunately me, since I was there."

"Really?" I asked. "I thought you were in the kitchen."

Nico smiled at me. "Well, I was. But you were kind of loud, if you didn't notice. Of course, that Paul guy didn't know what you were saying, but some of us…well, I understood." Nico frowned again. Thalia and Annabeth were looked back and forth between Nico and me, but Nico ignored them and continued. "Any way, so you started yelling a bunch of monsters, and, as you know, that just makes them know where you are. So I brought you here."

"What? You left my family to deal with monsters! And where's Tyson?" I said, suddenly realizing just how bad my behavior had been.

"Calm down, Percy," Thalia said. "You're family is fine. Nico got you out of there before any monster could completely locate you. Tyson is still with your mom. We'll meet him at camp."

"You're going to come to camp? But I thought…"

Annabeth covered my mouth, and then turned to everyone else. It was a good thing she did so she didn't see me blush. "Guys, we are overloading him with information. Let's answer his first question. Nico, go ahead."

Annabeth removed her hand from my lips, staring at Nico. I was still blushing fiercely and it made it worse that Thalia was smirking at me. I quickly turned my attention to Nico.

"Okay, so you remember when I first showed up, right?" I nodded. "Well, I told you that I found a way to stop Luke." I nodded again. "After you feed me, I was going to tell you that we needed to meet Annabeth and Artemis's Huntresses before I could tell you anything else. I wanted to tell all of you at once. We decided that this would be a good place to meet. It's were… were Bianca joined up."

I recognized the place as soon as Nico said it. Bianca had joined Artemis in this very spot. I wondered how hard it was for Nico to stand here now.

"Any way, I didn't get a chance to tell you. You and your mom started fighting and once you called the monsters I knew that I wouldn't have a chance to get you out of there fast enough by bus or something. That's what I had planned on doing. That's what I did with Annabeth. But we didn't have time, so I transported you faster. You see this ring?" Nico said, pointing to the skull on his finger. "This makes it possible for me to move from place to place like a ghost. Bianca gave it to me, well, her ghost did. Well, it was the fastest way to get away, so I just grabbed you and disappeared. But it didn't work on you like it does on me. I guess it is because you aren't Hades son. I mean, it worked, but you went through a lot of pain. That's never happened to me."

"So you turned me into a temporary ghost?" I asked.

"Basically," Nico smiled. "But luckily it was temporary. You're fine now."

Annabeth smiled at me, but I didn't smile back. Now that I understood why and how I hag gotten here, I wanted to know Nico's plan. "So what's the plan?"

Thalia laughed. "That's the same thing I did Perce. You and I are so alike. I couldn't wait for anything, not even for you to wake up, for Nico to tell me. Of course, everyone else made me wait, so I guess you and I will have to wait a little longer."

"What for?" I asked.

"Nico says there is one more person he needs to get before he can tell us," Thalia answered.

"Who?"

"An old friend of yours," Annabeth said. I noticed the edge in her voice right away and I knew who the friend was. "Rachel Elizabeth Dare," Annabeth finished, staring me hard in the face as if expecting to see something there.

"That's cool," was all that I could say. Thalia nudged Annabeth and she stopped staring at me, though her eyes remained cold and she glanced at me every so often.

Artemis smiled and turned to Nico. "We will wait for you here. Don't transport Rachel. She is a mortal and it would be fatal for her."

Nico nodded and then suddenly he began to pale, not his face, but his whole body. I could see through him, and then, he was gone. "Wow," I whispered.


	3. Artemis Gives Me a Warning

It only took a few seconds for me to realize that, now that Nico was gone, I was the only boy present

Artemis Gives Me a Warning

It only took a few seconds for me to realize that, now that Nico was gone, I was the only boy present. I was still on the ground and as I looked around I saw that all of the girls were looking at me. I cleared my throat awkwardly. All the girls here, except Annabeth, had sworn to remain virgins forever. They never grew older. For a moment I wondered what they were thinking about me. Some of them were glaring at me, while others were smiling rather cheekily. They thought I was a joke.

"How long do you think it will take Nico to get Rachel here?" I asked.

"It won't take too long," Thalia said, "maybe a couple of days."

"So what are we doing in the mean time?"

Thalia looked at me with a smirk. "We could practice, if you take my meaning."

I knew what she meant. We always used to practice sword fighting together. But at the moment I still wasn't feeling very good. "Could we do it later? I don't really feel up to it."

"Sure thing," Thalia said, getting up. "I'm going to check on camp. We are staying here for awhile," she said when I gave her a questioning look. "We need somewhere to sleep."

When Thalia had left, I looked at Annabeth and smiled. "I'm glad to see you again."

Annabeth smiled back and laughed. "We do have a funny way of meeting every year, don't we, Seaweed Brain?"

I laughed as well. It was true. There wasn't a single year were Annabeth and I hadn't gotten together in a weird circumstance. Last year, for example, I had run into her after destroying my new school's band room with a mortal, Rachel, running along behind me. Annabeth and I started chatting about the summers we'd experienced together. Thalia came over after awhile and listened to us. She told us about what she had learned from Artemis. She'd been taught more fighting skills and she was an excellent archer.

"It isn't so bad, you know, not being with any boys," Thalia said, looking at me. "O course, I do miss you, Perce. There's no one to argue with any more." Thalia reached forward and punched my arm. I laughed. Thalia and I had fought a ton. We'd always stayed friends though. Of course I didn't really know her very well. I'd spent one summer with her, but she was cool. "We stay in a beautiful valley that only people Artemis wants can enter. It is so lovely. I wish you could see it," Thalia continued. It did sound pretty, but I thought that I'd prefer camp. Of course, even if I preferred the valley Thalia described, I probably wouldn't be welcome there, since I'm a boy.

Annabeth and I filled Thalia in on what was going on at camp. We told her about our adventures in the Labyrinth, well, most of them. She seemed to already know about Luke and everything. I figured that Annabeth had already told her. We gave her a detailed report on the Battle of the Labyrinth and Annabeth told Thalia about meeting Daedalous. She told Thalia about the book he had given Annabeth and how she had been studying it like crazy. "He was a pure genius," she said over and over again.

After awhile I noticed that Thalia looked jealous. I thought about when she had joined Artemis's Huntresses. She hadn't liked the idea of not feeling for boys. She'd thought that the Huntresses were silly and foolish. Of course, they'd thought the same thing about her. But later she had joined to prevent herself becoming sixteen, leaving the prophecy to be fulfilled by me. I wondered if that was the only reason she had joined.

Thalia interrupted Annabeth and I. "Percy, Annabeth tells me you were there when … when Luke turned into Kronos. Tell me what happened."

The smile on Annabeth's face vanished. She looked away from me and I thought I saw tears in her eyes. Instead of feeling sorry for her, I felt rather angry. Why couldn't she accept the fact that Luke was evil? He'd completely changed from the kid she had grown up with. Why couldn't she see that?

"Annabeth probably told you everything," I answered, not wanting to talk about it.

Thalia stared hard into my face. "Kronos is inside Luke's body?"

I nodded slowly, glancing at Annabeth. She was staring off into space, her face solemn.

I looked back at Thalia. She was biting her lip nervously. "Percy, did you happen to notice… well, did Luke … did his body, I mean, did it look dead before Kronos was inside it?"

Annabeth looked back at me. Both of the girls were staring hard at me. I thought back to when I had opened the coffin and seen Luke lying there. He hadn't moved. He had been very pale. Yes, he had looked dead, but was he really? Some part of me thought that he had just been sleeping. Maybe Annabeth was right. Luke was still inside somewhere.

"I'm not sure. He looked mostly dead, but he could've been sleeping" I said, realizing how stupid that sounded. But Thalia looked slightly relieved. Annabeth looked away again. And then I felt strange. As I looked at Annabeth I thought about Luke. Why wasn't he dead? He should be dead. He'd fallen of a cliff, but somehow he had lived. Had his body already begun it's preparation to became Kronos's? My stomach flipped uncomfortably and I felt sick. How long had Luke known that his body would become home to Kronos? Suddenly, an even worse thought came to my mind. Had Luke known at all? Had Kronos tricked him into it? Was Luke a poor victim? I shook my head. No, Luke was evil. It had been his own decision to join Kronos.

"Percy Jackson, may I see you for a moment?"

I jumped and looked up to see Artemis gazing down at me. I quickly stood up, my head spinning slightly, and followed her a little further into the trees. A few of the Huntresses followed, but Artemis turned to them and said, "No. Stay behind. I trust Percy." The girls turned and went back. Artemis turned to me and smiled. "It is good to see you again Percy."

I smiled and bowed, rather clumsily. Sometimes it was hard for me to remember that the young girl was a Goddess. She looked so much like any other girl, except that she looked more mature. Suddenly Artemis's sweet voice changed. It became harder, more powerful. "Percy, you know that the Gods do not and can not know everything, but we do have small hints that can tell us what might happen in the future. You have many enemies, Percy, as you know. Even some of the Gods are numbered among them. But I must warn you, one Goddess does not consider herself your enemy, but what she could do to you is terrible. I fear that what she considers her help will destroy you. It would destroy others as well. I can not tell you much more, but be on the lookout. There will come a time that you and a friend will have to make a decision. Be careful and stay close to your friends." With that, Artemis turned around and joined her Huntresses.

I stayed were I was. I really didn't know what Artemis had been talking about. I already knew that I had many enemies. I was really confused about the Goddess that wanted to help me. I wondered which Goddess it was. I knew that Athena and Hera didn't like me very much. I'd met Aphrodite once, something I didn't want to experience again, and, of course, I'd met Artemis more than once, but other than that I hadn't really made contact with any of them. The last thing Artemis said was the plainest and easiest for me to understand. She wanted me to stay close to my friends. I was pretty sure that I could trust what she had told me. Artemis didn't seem like she would mess around with my head. But can anyone really trust a God?


	4. Thalia Tells Me Annabeth's Secret

Thalia Tells Me Annabeth's Secret

Thalia Tells Me Annabeth's Secret

It wasn't particularly easy to spend a couple of days with a bunch of girls. I already felt like an outsider, but the girls made me feel quite welcome. That was a joke. They did ever thing they could think of to let me know I was not welcome. My tent was set up about three yards away from the girls. I mean, that seems wise. I didn't really care about that. But whenever we ate, if I attempted to sit by the girls, they would get up and leave, shooting dark looks at me from over their shoulders. The only girls that would come near me were Annabeth and Thalia.

Thalia seemed just the same as always. She would laugh and joke about everything, and once in a while, she would accidentally shock me. They were usually really small, but every once in awhile I felt like I'd been burnt to a crisp. I probably should have paid more attention in science. They always say, "Water and Electricity don't mix."

Annabeth, on the other hand, seemed distant. She didn't laugh as much as she used to and it was always half-heartedly. Her smiles were small and timid. Half the time I'd find her staring into the distance, not paying attention to anything I said. At other times, she would disappear entirely.

At one of these times, I was looking for her. I went over to Thalia, who was chatting with some of the other Huntresses. When they saw me approaching, they quickly walked in the other direction.

Thalia turned to me and teased, "I'm never going to be able to finish a conversation with them. You keep scaring them away."

"Ha, ha," I replied. "Have you seen Annabeth?"

Thalia's grin disappeared. "Er, no, I haven't seen her, at least, not recently."

I sighed and put my hands in my pockets. "Why is she avoiding me?"

"She isn't avoiding just you, Percy. She avoids everyone. Ever since Luke, well, you know… she's just been that way. I, for one, think she disappears under her hat."

I couldn't help but feel angry at this. "Why? What is her deal with Luke? He tried to kill me, he trapped Annabeth, he turned against all the Demi-Gods, and he helped Kronos come back! I don't get her! He's evil and she knows it!"

Thalia stared at me. I half expected her to start fighting me, and part of me wanted her to, but she just stared. Her eyes seemed to be filled with pity.

I turned away angrily, but she stopped me. "Percy, you know that Annabeth, Luke and I came to Camp Half-Blood together."

I nodded slowly.

"Well, Annabeth was a lot younger. We were her protectors and she felt she needed to be the same to us. You know how she is that way. She fought along side us like a hero, and she always looked up to us. But I think Annabeth started feeling more for Luke. She started blushing whenever he looked at her or spoke to her directly. I think she developed a crush on him."

"What? On him! But…"

"He wasn't what he is now Percy. You knew him before he left. You saw how, well, cool he was."

"But the whole time he was planning to destroy us. You may remember that he was the one who poisoned your tree!"

"And without that I wouldn't be here today Percy!" Thalia answered sharply.

I stared at her. It was true. If the tree hadn't been poisoned, Thalia wouldn't be here.

"Luke knew that I'd come out. He wasn't trying to kill me, Percy."

I shot back at her, "No, he was just trying to make it so you would bring Kronos back. Do you honestly think he cares about you?"

"Shut up, Percy!" a voice said behind me.

I turned around to see Annabeth staring hard at me. "He does care about us! Why do you think he didn't want me killed when we were at the arena? He wanted to talk to me afterward! Don't you remember?"

"Yes! He wanted to talk to you after, Nico, Rachel, and I were dead. Apparently you don't care about us any more than Luke does!"

Annabeth broke into tears and ran away into the trees. I stared after her, gritting my teeth. "She doesn't care about me."

I felt Thalia reach out and shock me. I yelped and turned around to face her, ready to fight, but she stared at me hard. "Percy, I never thought you would be capable of doing that! She is already hurt! Why can't you leave her alone?"

"Huh! Me, leave her alone! I'll I'm trying to do is make her see the truth!"

"And are you certain it is the truth? None of us really know what happened to Luke. Let Annabeth hope a little!"

Thalia turned on her heel and ran in the direction Annabeth had. As I looked to where she had gone, I saw Artemis staring at me. She shook her head and then turned away. I suddenly remembered her warning to me. "Stay close to your friends." I had definitely not followed her advice.


	5. Nico Gets Cut

Nico Gets Cut

The next day was horrible. Annabeth was completely ignoring me. Several times I tried to talk to her, tried to say I was sorry, but she would just walk away or joined a conversation with the huntresses. Whenever she did this I didn't feel sorry any more. Instead, my anger would come back and I would have no desire to talk to Annabeth any more.

Even Thalia was acting different around me. She wasn't as happy and her smile seemed forced. Several times she'd call me Seaweed brain, but I wasn't sure if she was joking or being serious.

The huntresses were treating me worse than ever and I always turned around to find a group of them glaring at me. The fact that I was the only boy in the camp began to hover over my head constantly. I felt like a rabbit being hunted by a fox.

The only person that didn't glare at me was Artemis, and she isn't really a person anyway. She always looked at me sadly and each time I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach. After several of these experiences, I snuck a little further away from the camp and sat down under a tall tree, hoping that Nico would show up soon. I was getting very frustrated and I started to blame Nico for leaving me in this situation. Of course, I knew that he had had no idea of what would happen, but it was easier to blame Nico then myself.

I sat moping about when suddenly the air seemed to shimmer in front of me. I jumped up with a yell, pulling my pen out of my pocket, which transformed into Riptide. The air continued to shimmer and I backed away, pointing Riptide at the shadow that I could suddenly see inside of it. A pale form was becoming visible, though I could still see through it. I waited, holding my breath as the figure became solid again, and Nico stood in front of me.

"Nico, you're back!" I said excitedly. I looked around for a moment before asking, "Where is Rachel?"

Before I knew it, Nico was swaying on the spot. I caught him just before he hit the ground and to my horror I saw a deep bloody gash on his arm. His black clothes were covered in his own blood and his pale face was tight with pain.

"Annabeth! Thalia!" I yelled as loud as I could, carefully lowering Nico to the ground. "Nico is hurt! Annabeth! Thalia!" I turned back to Nico, who was blinking rapidly.

"Percy?" Nico whispered in a hoarse voice.

I smiled. "It's okay Nico. We'll take care of you."

Annabeth and Thalia came running toward Nico and I, followed by Artemis and several huntresses. Annabeth kneeled down beside me and Thalia stood over Nico, looking shocked.

"What happened, Percy?" Artemis asked.

"I don't know. He just appeared in front of me and then he collapsed. He's bleeding pretty badly," I answered, still staring at Nico.

Annabeth took Nico's hand and I suddenly felt a knot in my stomach. She leaned close to him and said quietly, "Nico? Nico, what happened?"

But the boy didn't seem to be able to answer. He just stared at Annabeth, sweat dripping down his forehead. One of the huntresses kneeled down and began cleaning and bandaging Nico's wound. He moaned softly.

Annabeth looked at Artemis. "You don't think the transport ring hurt him, do you?"

Artemis shook her head. "It couldn't have. And if it did, it wouldn't cut him. It can't do that. It can only kill people."

I thought it strange how Artemis had said, "It can only kill people." That didn't seem like an only to me.

"But wasn't he getting Rachel? Why isn't she here?" Thalia asked.

"I hope he didn't try to transport her. It would definitely kill Rachel…" but what ever Annabeth was going to say was silenced as Nico suddenly murmured, "Rachel?" And then he sat up straight, yelping at the pain in his arm and crying out, "Rachel!"

Annabeth pushed Nico back down. "Calm down, Nico. Just tell us where she is. How did you get hurt?"

Nico was breathing hard and fast. He gasped and then looked straight at me. "It was monsters. I've never seen anything like them before. They had horns and a head like a Minotaur, but the rest of them was like a lizard. Their tails had spikes on them, as sharp as Riptide. I can't believe how fast they move. I thought, because of how big they are, they'd be slow. They also have wings."

Thalia, Annabeth, and I exchanged nervous looks. None of us had ever seen a monster like this before and each of us has had plenty of experience with them, believe me. I was completely puzzled, but I thought that this creature could only be the creation of Kronos.

"Rachel and I were going to come as close to here as we could by cab, and then walk the rest of the way," Nico continued. "But when we got out, they were waiting for us. Eight of them. Rachel didn't have a weapon and so I was trying to protect her. One of them got her with its tail. I managed to hurt one. I tried to keep fighting, but one clawed at me. I knew I would die if I stayed, so I grabbed Rachel and ran for it. I hid her in some trees and kept running. The monsters followed me. They weren't interested in her, because she's mortal. As soon as I had them far away from Rachel, I transported back here." Nico stared hard at me. "She needs help. She'll die." Nico seemed to have exhausted himself. He was paler than ever and he slowly closed his eyes and sighed. "She'll die," he whispered one more time.

Thalia turned and started running away. We all stared at her, bewildered. She turned back around and shouted, "Is anyone coming with me?"

Artemis and he huntresses were already chasing after Thalia. I looked and Annabeth, wondering what she was going to do. She was looking at me. She stood up and nodded in the direction everyone had gone. "You coming, Seaweed Brain? Or are you going to leave it to us girls? Sounds like it won't be too difficult." But she looked nervous.

We both knew that eight monsters would be difficult to take on. It was likely more people would get hurt, or even killed.

I stood up. "I'm coming. But someone should stay with Nico." I looked at two of the huntresses who had not run off yet. They glowered at me, but sat down beside Nico and began busying themselves with taking care of him.

Annabeth turned around, but before she could chase after the others, I grabbed her hand. She turned to face me, looking slightly angry.

"Annabeth," I said in a quick whisper, "I just want to tell you that I am sorry. I mean, you know, what I said. I was just angry and…"

But once again, I found Annabeth's hand over my mouth. This time, I saw her blush as well. She quickly removed it, but she whispered, "I know, Percy. I was angry too. I'm sorry."

Before I knew it, she'd wrapped her arms around my neck and given me a fast kiss on the lips. Then she turned and ran after the other girls. For one moment, I stood stunned, not believing it. And then, I was running after everyone, a grin spreading across my face.


	6. I Get Trapped

I Get Trapped

I'm not sure how we knew what direction to go in. Nico hadn't told us. But we ran on anyway. I was still in the back of the long line of huntresses and demigods when I heard a swooping noise above my head. I looked up, but I didn't see anything. Then a sound filled the air that made my blood curdle. I can't describe it well enough and have you feel the terror of it. It was so high-pitched that I had to cover my ears. It seemed to echo inside my head, making my brain throb. The very air around me seemed to shiver with the noise and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I froze, my hands over my ears, looking about for the source of the noise.

"Percy!" I heard someone yell, "Duck!"

I didn't even think. I dived to the ground, covering my head as the sound filled the air once more. When I looked up, I saw the creature Nico had described. It was hovering over me with a wicked grin. I stared at its blood red eyes in horror, knowing that I was about to die. The tail came down to hit me, but in the nick of time, I rolled over and the spikes hit the ground were I had been moments ago.

At the same moment, fifteen or more arrows came soaring through the air, embedding themselves in the creature's wings. It screamed its horrid call once more, before collapsing on the ground. But it was still very much alive. It thrashed about and the tail once more came in my direction. I dived to the side, pulling Riptide out as I did so. More arrows came through the air, but they bounced off the lizards scales. I gritted my teeth and launched myself forward. The creature yelled and stood up, its bloody wings flapping, but doing no good. It stood on its hind legs and I charged at the belly with Riptide. I stabbed my sword as hard as I could into the monster. I felt Riptide pass through the hard scales and into the creatures flesh. Once again, the monster yelled in pain, before it fell forward. I didn't have time to move and the next thing I knew, I was trapped beneath the dead creature. Because of its shape, the only part of me that was actually underneath the monster was my legs.

The first thing I noticed was the smell. It was horrible! I thought I was going to pass out because of it. It smelled like a mix between rotten milk and smelly diapers. I gagged when it reached my nostrils.

The second thing I noticed was the blood. The wounds that we had made in the creature were still dripping, and, much to my joy, they were now dripping all over me. Soon I would be completely soaked in blood that was not my own. This mere thought made my stomach churn.

And the third thing I noticed was that the monster was very heavy. That's when I began to feel the pain. My legs were screaming in agony and I felt like they would soon fall off because of the pressure on them. I began to moan until my legs felt like they had been turned into squashed marshmallows. Then I screamed. The pain mounted and I struggled to try and get myself out from underneath the monster and away from the pain. But the struggling just made it worse. Once again, I yelled, groping with my hands to where my legs disappeared beneath the monster's bulk.

Then I felt hands grabbing me.

"Pull! Come one, pull!" Thalia was calling.

The monster began to roll off of me and I heard Artemis giving more orders. "Push it off of him! Hurry!"

And I was free! But the pain had not left. My legs were throbbing and I grabbed them clutching my teeth and squinting my eyes tight.

"Percy!" somebody said.

I looked up, hardly seeing. Then I recognized Annabeth, Thalia, Artemis, and several huntresses standing over me. The first thing I could say was, "That thing stinks." It was just a fact.

Then Annabeth launched herself at me. "Percy, you idiot! Trying to take that thing on by yourself!"

"I didn't. It came after me and…" Annabeth was suddenly giving me the tightest hug I'd ever had. "Ow, Annabeth. Ow!" I yelled as the pain in my legs pounded.

Thalia knelt down beside me, pulling Annabeth off. "Where are you hurt? You're bleeding in a million places."

"Bleeding? No, that was the monster. His guck got all over me," I replied. "It's my legs. They kill."

Thalia began rubbing my legs and I hissed in pain. "I don't think they're broken."

"No, just squashed," I murmured.

"We had better move him. There are more of those monsters around here somewhere," Artemis said. "We still need to find Rachel."

Thalia and Annabeth picked me up by the armpits. "If I can get to a stream, then maybe I can heal myself," I said as they began carrying me off.

"There might not be time to find one," Annabeth replied.

And at the same moment, a screeched filled the air.

"Here they come!" Thalia yelled.


	7. Hello Rachel and GoodBye Rachel

Hello Rachel and Good-Bye Rachel

"Sorry Percy," Annabeth said and she lowered me to the ground behind a tree. She and Thalia had somehow managed to drag me to a little section of trees.

"Stay here!" Thalia yelled as she and Annabeth went charging after the beasts.

"Don't worry," I hissed, "I'm not going anywhere far. Like I could make it."

If you haven't noticed, I was in a bit of a situation. And sitting there, watching my friends fight monsters when I couldn't help was unbearable. They were very good, but I needed to help. How could I help? And then I heard music! Okay, it wasn't really music, but it was as good as. It was running water. I rolled onto my stomach, ignoring the pain in my legs. I dug my fingers into the ground and pulled myself forward, toward the sound. It was coming from deeper into some trees. Foot by foot, I dragged myself with my arms, which were now hurting as well as my legs. Why did this have to happen now? I focused on nothing but moving forward, and was slightly shocked when water splashed up into my face.

"Ha ha!" I said in triumph. I rolled into the stream, letting in completely cover me. The pain immediately began to go away. I sighed and sat up. To anyone normal, the sight of a boy sitting up from a stream and being completely dry would, of course, freak them out. But my friends and I were far from normal.

I clambered out of the stream as fast as possible, grabbing Riptide from my pocket. I could hear the cries of the battle, the monsters shrill cries, the shouts, and occasionally horrible screams, from my friends. I began charging toward the battle, crashing through bushes in my haste. But I had barely gone a few yards when I tripped over something. I swore, thinking I had stupidly tripped over a root or something, but then I heard a low moan. Looking behind me I saw to my shock and horror that I had tripped over a person, who was bleeding badly. It was Rachel.

"Rachel!" I crawled on my hands and knees to her. She was unconscious.

Rachel was so pale I was afraid she was dead. Blood was streaming down her face. She had a deep gash in her head that was bleeding horrible and her arm looked like it was broken or dislocated. Her shoulder was bleeding as well. I pulled her shirt a little off her shoulder and saw that it was bleeding worse then her head.

Okay, we are trained in first aid, but I didn't think I was capable of helping this. I did the best I could with what I had, which was my shirt. Using Riptide, I slashed it into strips and then bandaged Rachel's head, first cleaning it with some water from the stream. Then I turned to her shoulder with a sinking feeling. I had never replaced dislocated bones before, but I knew how to do it. The problem was that her shoulder was bleeding and that would make it difficult and more painful for her. I would have to jerk it really hard to get it back in place.

Feeling sick, I grabbed her wrist and placed my foot on her shoulder. Then, I jerked and pushed at the same time. Unsurprisingly, it woke Rachel up with a scream and cry of pain.

"I'm so sorry Rachel! I'm sorry!" I said, falling to my knees again and examining my work. Her shoulder was back in place. She was staring at me wide eyed and it looked like she was about to have a panic attack. "Its okay, Rachel," I said, trying to sound reassuring. "You'll be okay. You just got a little hurt." I almost snorted at myself. A little hurt?

"Percy Jackson?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"Yeah," I said, standing up. "I'll be right back, Rachel. I'm going to get you some water. There's a stream back there."

I ran back the few yards to the stream and cupped some water in my hands. I kept a steady control over it so that it wouldn't fall over the sides or drip out of my hands. When I got back to Rachel she was feeling the makeshift bandage on her head. She looked up at me when I sat beside her. I balanced the water into a little ball in one hand. I placed my other hand on her shoulder, the one that wasn't hurt, and pulled her into a semi-sitting position. She drank the water from my hand, but I noticed that she was shaking. When I laid her back down she smiled.

"Thanks, Percy. It's good to see you again," she said.

I smiled back at her. "It's good to see you too, though it might be a more cheerful event if you were feeling better."

Rachel's forehead creased as she stared at me. "What happened?" she asked. "I don't really remember. Were you there? What happened to Nico? Is he okay? Where are the monsters?"

As she finished, one of the terrible cries pierced the air. My heart rate quickened. Annabeth, Thalia, and the huntresses were still fighting. Rachel's eyes widened. "There are more of them?"

"No. There the same ones. Nico came and got us and told us where we could find you," I answered. "He's hurt, but he'll be okay."

"Us?" Rachel asked, looking around as though expecting to see someone else.

"Annabeth and some others," I answered. "They're not here."

"I noticed," she said. Then she gasped. "They're fighting, aren't they?"

I nodded somberly, wishing that I was with them; wishing Rachel was alright and that I could go and join the fight. But I couldn't just leave her. She was really hurt. I immediately started arguing with myself. What if my friends were dieing? They needed my help. But what if they were all dead? I would die if there were more monsters and I had to fight them on my own. Not to mention, Rachel would die because she wouldn't be able to go anywhere far. I should stay with her.

What about Annabeth? What if she was hurt, if she needed my help? I didn't want to think more knowing what would come next, but I couldn't help it. What if she was dead? I immediately felt sick. My stomach churned and I fought to keep tears from my eyes.

I felt a hand on my arm. I looked down at Rachel. She was staring at me with understanding. "Percy, go and fight with them. You should go help your friends."

"We came here to find you and help you. It wouldn't be much help if I went off and got killed and left you here," I said, though I wished I could go.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop trying to be noble. You found me. You helped me and I'm going to be fine. But we don't know what is happening to the others. You need to help them."

"But…" I said, but stopped. She glared at me.

"I don't want to be the reason for any of your friends' deaths. If you can do any good to them now, I don't want to have been the one to stop you. Now get going. I won't go anywhere for at least an hour. If you're not back by then, I go."

Yeah, right, I wanted to say. I didn't expect Rachel to leave. She'd wait until she felt better and then come looking for us. But I couldn't help it. I nodded. She smiled at me and let go of my arm. "Go."

I stood and went running off toward where I had heard the cries coming from, but I was dreading what I would find and wondering if I would be any help. Was I sentencing both Rachel and I to death?


	8. We're Saved by a Bunch of Trees

**Author's Note: The Last Olympian has some of the same ideas in it that I have been planning on using in this story. I'm going to use some things from LO, but most of the things I had planned out before I read it.**

We're Saved by a Bunch of Trees

I charged through the trees as fast as I could, saying a silent prayer to my dad that I would get there in time. I was almost out of the trees when somebody stood up right in front of me. They cried out when they saw me barreling toward them. I tried to slow down, but I was going to fast. I crashed into them and we both fell.

I sat up, spitting leaves out of my mouth. "What are you doing here?" I asked in surprise.

"Blah-ha-ha!" Grover bleated, shaking his head with a dazed expression on his face. "Hi Percy. I was looking for you and the others."

"I thought you were spreading word about Pan. And how did you know we were here?"

Grover stood up on his goat legs, brushing dirt off his orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. He gave me his hand and helped pull me up. "I got a call from Nico. He said you, Annabeth, and Thalia needed my help with something. What?"

"Don't ask me. Nico hasn't told any of us what we're doing. So far we've just been battling monsters."

"Where's everyone else?" Grover asked.

I gripped my pen/sword Riptide tighter. "Battling monsters. I gotta go help them."

"I'm coming too," Grover said. He grabbed his reed-pipes, which were laying on the ground by him. "Mind if I call reinforcements?"

I didn't bother asking how reinforcements would get here in time, but I shook my head. Grover beamed and put the pipes to his mouth. He played a funny little tune I'd never heard before, but believe me, it sounded much better than Hilary Duff.

As Grover played, the trees began to sway slightly, which freaked me out because there was no wind. "Er… Grover? What are you doing?"

He held up one finger for silence and continued to play. Then, the trees stopped swaying and the wood was full of nymphs.

"Whoa," I said softly. The nymphs were giggling at me and I realized I must be a mess. I tried to straighten my hair, but my hand just came away full of twigs and leaves.

"You called Lord Grover?" one of the nymphs giggled happily.

I looked over at the goat. "Lord Grover?"

Grover flushed and nodded. "It's the whole Pan thing." He turned to the nymphs. "Okay, er… Percy and I need some help. There's some monsters that we could use your help fighting and, er…" He paused as the nymphs smiles turned to scowls.

The one who had spoken to us before replied, "We can feel them, just on the boarder of our home. They tore down and burned my sister. I will help you fight them." The other nymphs nodded in agreement.

Grover sighed with relief and then turned to me. "Lead the way Percy."

"You're the _Lord_," I teased.

"And you're the hero," Grover smiled. He pushed me to the head of the nymphs. "The nymphs won't die unless their tree is hurt, so try and keep the fighting away from the trees," he whispered.

"Great," I murmured. Then I led the army of nymphs out of the trees and out to the open field.

My heart turned to ice and the nymphs gasped behind me. There were still five monsters left. My friends had downed three besides the one I had killed. The hunters were standing on a small hill, shooting arrows at the wings of the three that were still flying. Thalia, Annabeth, and some hunters were attacking the ones on the ground with swords and hunting knifes. Thalia was keeping one monster at bay with her terrifying shield, distracting it while the others brought its buddy down. It let out one more shriek before falling onto the grass and disintegrating.

"They need help," a voice said from my left.

I jumped and looked around to see Artemis gazing down at the battle. Grover and the nymphs feel to their knees with cries of "Lady Artemis!"

"I give you my blessing, Percy Jackson. I can not help my hunters, so you must be the help," she said to me firmly.

I nodded and she smiled at me. She turned to the nymphs. "It is brave of you to offer your assistance. The gods are pleased. Fight well, daughters of nature, and preserve the realm of Pan." As the nymphs clamored excitedly, Artemis turned back to me. "Good luck, son of Poseidon."

With that, we charged. I ran down toward the battlefield crying out "For the gods!" The nymphs took up the call and I was almost afraid I would be tackled as they sped up.

The hunters arrows landed another monster and I charged straight towards it, Riptide glinting in the setting sun. Grover was just behind me, playing frantically on his pipes. The monster turned toward me, shrieking in challenge. It was about to charge when it realized it's feet had been covered in vines and flowers. It roared in outrage as it fought to brake through the foliage. It's beady eyes turned to me and it swatted it's tail at me. I rolled to the ground, coming up underneath the belly again and I stabbed. This time, I rolled out of the way before it could fall on top of me, but I couldn't pull Riptide out. The monster fell forward, Riptide still underneath it. I waited for it to reappear in my pocket. Before it could, I heard a shriek behind me. I whirled around to see another monster barreling down on me.

I felt Riptide enter my pocket, but I had no time to pull it out. I didn't even have time to move out of the way. I closed my eyes, waiting for impact, which came, but from the wrong direction. I was shoved to the ground, out of the monsters path.

"What the?" I said.

The monster turned toward me again. I scrambled to get to my feet. I pulled Riptide out of my pocket. The monster stopped in it's tracks. It shook it's head and stood up on it's back legs. I stared in amazement as it shuddered, then fell forward, a celestial bronze knife sticking out of it's head.

Annabeth suddenly appeared beside me, a smile on her face and her invisibility baseball cap in her hand. "That was fun!" she laughed. "I always enjoy saving your life."

"Thanks for that!" I yelled as we both dodged another monster who was backing quickly away from Thalia. She was leading a bunch of nymphs and within seconds, the monster was being wrapped in vines. Thalia stabbed it with her hunting knifes and it turned to dust.

Thalia came over to join Annabeth and I as we surveyed the field. The only thing left of the monsters were eight piles of yellow dust. The nymphs stood in a circle cheering and slapping each other on the back. Artemis was walking calmly down the hill, talking to a few hunters who appeared to be giving her a report.

"Well, that went well," Thalia said. "No deaths. A few hunters have broken bones or cuts, but other than that, we did pretty good." She turned to me. "How'd you get the nymphs to come to the rescue?"

I smiled as I saw Grover escape the nymphs and come running up to join us. "I didn't. That was Lord Grover's doing."

"_Lord_ Grover?" Annabeth asked with a laugh.

Grover frowned. "Blah-ha-ha! Good to see you to Annabeth."

Annabeth laughed and turned to me. Her smile suddenly disappeared as she caught sight of something behind me. I turned and saw Rachel limping towards us. I immediately felt guilty. I'd completely forgotten about her. Annabeth saw the look on my face and her scowl deepened. "Somebody bandaged her up. I wonder who?" she glared at me as though I had committed a crime.

"What? She was hurt. I couldn't just leave her bleeding to death," I replied indignantly.

Annabeth didn't saw anything, but she glared as Rachel came over to us.

"Hi Percy. I see you didn't die after all," she smiled.

"Were you hoping I would?" I asked.

She laughed. "Quite the contrary." Then she caught sight of Annabeth and her expression hardened. "Hello Annabeth," she said very formally.

"Rachel," Annabeth nodded coldly. "How wonderful to see you again."

I'd hoped that Rachel and Annabeth would be able to be friends for once, but it seemed their time away from each other had increased their feelings of loathing. I glanced at Thalia. She looked like she was trying not to laugh.

Rachel smiled forcibly. "I see you didn't die either. Percy manage to save you after all? He was _so _worried about you. I had to convince him it would be alright to come rescue you."

Annabeth gritted her teeth. "How sweet Percy. You left Rachel bleeding in order to save me?"

Rachel turned red. She opened her mouth, but Thalia stepped up next to me. "Percy, would you introduce me to your friend?"

Annabeth turned on her heel and stalked off. Rachel glared after her, then turned to see Thalia. Her eyes widened slightly and then she scowled. Thalia smiled brightly and I wondered why Rachel's scowl seemed to amuse her.

"Er, Rachel, this is Thalia, daughter of Zeus. Thalia, this is …"

"Rachel Elizabeth Dare," Thalia finished for me, taking Rachel's hand and shaking it. "Yes, I've heard all about you." Rachel glanced at me, looking slightly happier. Her scowl was replaced when Thalia continued, "Annabeth's description doesn't quite do you credit though. Of course, you know Grover."

Grover waved with a nervous smile. "Hi Rachel."

"Hey Grover," Rachel replied. "Looks like I've been dragged back into your world huh? Only mortal again."

"Correct, yet incorrect," Thalia smiled. She waved toward the hunters. "Some of them used to be mortal, but then they took an oath to the goddess Artemis to serve her forever, forsaking love, and promising to stay a virgin forever."

Rachel looked shocked. "Who would be stupid enough to do that?"

I glanced at Thalia nervously but she continued to smile. "I would," she answered.

"Oh!" Rachel gasped. She looked at me and I could tell she was a lot happier. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

Thalia shrugged, "No offense taken. It was a crazy idea to me once."

Rachel laughed. Both of them headed down the hill, talking about hairstyles and makeup.

I looked at Grover, who was looking rather stunned. "I don't get girls," he said.

I looked down at Rachel and Thalia. A minute ago, Rachel had been glaring at Thalia, now she was acting like she was her best friend. "Neither do I, man."


	9. Everything is Revolved Around Me

Everything is Revolved Around Me

That night everyone gathered around the a huge bonfire. The hunters seemed to have excepted Rachel well. She was sitting among them, laughing and chatting. Everyone seemed to be having a great time, except Nico and I. And I'd seen Annabeth look happier before. She was beside Thalia and Grover, but she kept shooting dangerous glares at Rachel.

"So," I said to Nico, not knowing what to say.

"You're lucky," Nico murmured.

"What?"

He shrugged. "You know. All the girls like you."

I snorted. "Right. The hunters all like me. We're all best buddies."

"That's not what I… never mind," Nico mumbled.

"Don't worry," Thalia suddenly said. I hadn't even noticed when she'd sat down beside me. "You'll get your chance someday, Nico. Percy is just older than you and most of the girls here are his age."

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"You," Thalia said in a duh voice. "What did you think Percy?"

"Well, I figured you were talking about me, but the other part didn't make sense," I replied, staring into the fire.

Thalia sighed. "Goodness me, boys really are blind, aren't they?"

"Not all of them are," Nico said. "Just Percy."

"Does Percy even know what he's blind about?" Thalia asked with a teasing smile.

I decided not to say anything. If I pretended I knew what they were talking about, maybe I wouldn't make myself look like an idiot. I racked my brain for a way to change the subject, but I couldn't come up with anything. Thalia, however, didn't seem to want the conversation to end. She seemed to find it a lot more amusing then I did.

"What do you think is bothering Rachel and Annabeth so much?" Thalia asked.

I glanced from Rachel to Annabeth. At that moment, they're gaze met and they both glared at each other for a moment before looking away. Rachel glanced at me and saw me looking at her. She smiled and waved. Annabeth looked to see where Rachel was looking and then she glared at me. I looked back at the fire. "Annabeth and Rachel never liked each other. I guess they just dislike each other more now than they did before. Annabeth has also been kind of touchy lately."

"Why do you think they don't like each other?" Thalia prompted.

I shrugged. Girls were a mystery to me. I really had no idea what was wrong with them. Nico stared at me and then he smiled. "You really have no idea, do you?" he asked. "Come on Perce! It's obvious."

Thalia laughed. "Give him a break, Nico. He never grew up with a girl. He doesn't know anything about them, accept what he's observed from girls at camp. Alright, Percy, I'm going to give you a lesson on girls."

I could tell that I was blushing. Nico was covering his mouth, trying to hide his laughter. Thalia looked like Christmas had come early. It was unnerving, the way she looked at me.

"First of all, I have to tell you what you look like from a girls point of view," Thalia continued.

"No, you don't," I said quickly. "I think I'll go now." I tried to stand up, but Thalia grabbed my arm.

"I can give him this part of the lesson," Nico smirked. "Let's see. What a girl sees Percy as? Well, you're talented…"

"I am not," I interrupted.

"You can swordfight, you're funny, you are great to hang out with, you care about people… Thalia, you're turn to continue the list," Nico grinned, laughing at my embarrassment.

"You are very handsome, Percy."

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous." I tried to stand up again, but both Nico and Thalia grabbed my arms. They weren't going to let me retreat.

"It's true, Percy," Thalia said. "You've grown. You're taller than Annabeth again. Your face has always been rather attractive along with your hair. It doesn't hurt that you are rather buff. You should have seen some of the hunters faces when you came charging down the hill shirtless. I think some of them were rethinking their pledge to remain virgins."

I seriously felt like I was being pulled through a torture machine. "Shut up."

"And you're the person that the fate of Olympus rests on," Nico said. "You're shrouded in speculation and mystery, which is always attractive to girls."

"Shrouded in speculation and mystery?" I snorted. "That's you, not me."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Thalia laughed.

"What does this have to do with Rachel and Annabeth?" I asked, hoping this would change the subject.

Thalia shook her head at me. "Oh Percy. Isn't it obvious? They're competing for you!"

"No way!"

"Yep!" Nico grinned.

I stared at the fire, feeling my face burn from more than the heat of the flames. I was utterly shocked and even more embarrassed. I wished that Thalia had just stayed away from me. Sometimes, being a blind guy is better than being forced to see the light, not matter what Thalia says.

"Attention!" Artemis suddenly called. I was so grateful I could have kissed her, even if she'd turn me into a deer for doing it and then hang my skins on her tent wall. "We have all gathered here to hear a possible plan to defeat the Titan Lord. I appreciate everyone here, but now I will ask you to pledge, that whatever the plan may be, you will do your best to bring it about."

One by one the hunters stood up and pledged, saying, "I pledge to do my part in the best way I can do bring down the Titan Lord."

Even Annabeth and Rachel said the pledge. When Thalia said it her voice rang with power and I felt that it would have been better if she was the one who the fate of Olympus rested on.

Nico said the pledge and then I stood up to repeat the phrase that everyone around the campfire had already stated. Everyone's eyes were locked on me. I suddenly felt nervous, like I was doing something that was really important and if I messed up, I'd ruin something. I stared into the fire. It was strange, how I was suddenly nervous to pledge myself to bringing Kronos down. I'd been working for it, but now I was afraid. What if I changed my mind? Maybe I didn't want to promise to do my best to bring him down. Maybe the gods really were just toying with me. I felt sudden heat rise inside me. That sounded like Luke. But what Luke thought did have some sense in it. I'd be fighting for gods who didn't really care about me. They only cared if I took care of their problems for them. So what if they were defeated? Maybe I could be free from being there servant. But then, could anyone be free if Kronos took over? Even if I didn't agree with everything the gods did, wasn't it better for them to be in power then for Kronos?

I hadn't realized how long I'd been standing up. Unease and apprehension had been growing around the fire as everyone watched me. Maybe everyone else had pledged themselves because they'd already thought about all this. I wondered how many of them had pledged themselves because everyone else had been doing it. I felt all their eyes on me. It also felt as if many others were watching me; powerful beings who were watching me. I wondered if this moment was in the prophecy no one had bothered to tell me about.

Resent meant filled me. I wondered if I really could determine to fight for the gods, those beings who had brought so much struggle and grief for me. But maybe, I wouldn't be fighting for the gods. I'd be fighting for my friends, for the freedom of the world. I didn't have to pledge myself to the gods. I just had to make sure that I helped keep the world safe from the destruction Kronos would bring to it.

I looked up from the flames into Artemis's eyes. She was watching me carefully and I had the feeling that she knew exactly what had been going through my mind. She stared at me, not smiling or frowning and I knew that this choice was entirely up to me.

"I pledge to do my part in the best way I can to bring down the Titan Lord," I said in a firm clear voice.

There was an unnerving silence and I stared at Artemis. She nodded once to me and relief seemed to spread around the circle.

"Thank you, Percy Jackson," she said. She turned to Annabeth, who was staring at me almost as if she was proud of me. "I believe, Annabeth, that he is ready."

I watched Annabeth as she looked at Artemis in surprise. She nodded to the goddess and then stood up and walked over to me. "Percy, come with me," she said quietly.

I looked around at the hunters. Thalia was smiling at me. She, Nico, and Grover stood up and walked over to us. Rachel watched us with a frown on her features and I was sure she wanted to come with us, where ever we were going. I followed Annabeth out into the woods. Thalia, Nico and Grover surrounded us and I felt like they were bodyguards. It wasn't exactly the nicest feeling I've had.

Annabeth stopped and sat down on the ground. She patted a spot beside her and I sat down quickly. Thalia sat next to me and Grover and Nico sat across from us.

"I'm sorry it took me so long back there," I said. "I just couldn't really make up my mind."

"But you did and that's the important thing. Percy, it's time for you to hear the prophecy," Annabeth said.

I stared at her. "Really? You're serious?" I felt excited and nervous at the same time. I'd waited so long to hear the prophecy, but now I wasn't sure if I wanted to.

Annabeth took a deep breath, looking at me carefully. She looked sad and she took my hand. "Here it is;

_A Half-Blood of the eldest gods_

_Shall reach sixteen against all odds,_

_And make all hope from waves of deep,_

_The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap._

_A single choice shall end his days_

_Olympus to preserve or raze._"

I stared at the ground as the words sunk in. I looked up and saw that my friends were staring at me. All of them looked surprised or sad. Grover sat stunned. Thalia was staring at me, her eyes wide. Nico looked sad, but determined. I had the feeling that he had heard the prophecy before.

"I… that," I didn't know what to say.

Annabeth squeezed my hand. I looked at her, feeling confused and bewildered. "I'll die in the end, won't I? No matter what I do."

"We don't know that, Percy," she replied quietly. "Prophecies can have double meanings in them. We never really know what they mean until they happen."

"But… a single choice shall end his days? I don't think that has any other meaning to it." I tried to sound like I didn't care, but I was shocked and, I hate to admit it, scared. "At least I'll die saving Olympus or…"

"Bringing it down," Grover mumbled. Nico elbowed him.

I looked at my friends. "I won't bring it down, whatever the prophecy says. If I have to die, I'll die saving it. The problem is, I don't know what to do." I let go of Annabeth's hand, suddenly wanting to distance myself from her. I stood up and stared into the night sky. The stars were so bright and beautiful. I wondered how much longer I would get to enjoy them.

Nico stared at me. "Well, I heard the prophecy a few weeks ago." He stood up and looked at me. "I think I can help you. Everything is revolved around you, Percy."

"Right. Thanks," I replied.

**Author Note: The prophecy is mostly taken directly from The Last Olympian, found on page 55. I borrowed it and I do not own it. It is the property of Rick Riordan. No copyright infringement intended. I am using Rick Riordan's prophecy, slightly altered, because I believe it fits my version of the story, which is an altered version of Rick Riordan's. **


	10. We Have an Unplanned Unsleepover

We Have an Unplanned Unsleepover

I don't know how late we stayed up that night as Nico tried to explain his plan. Rachel wandered over at about one in the morning. Annabeth glared at her as if daring her to join our circle, but Thalia made a spot for Rachel, right beside me. I seriously wanted to fill Thalia's lungs with water. It wouldn't have bothered me so much, except that Thalia was having so much amusement at my expense. She smirked at me from across the circle as Nico started up again. We sat there for quite awhile before Nico finally stopped and I realized that half the time, Nico had been rambling about stuff we already knew, just to postpone the moment when he would tell us the real plan.

"What?" Annabeth whispered silently, staring at Nico in horror when he'd finished.

"You're kidding me?" Thalia sat stunned. "You've got to be kidding me?"

"Wait, I'm confused," Rachel stammered.

Nico looked at me. "I'm sorry Percy, but I think that's what the third line means."

I stood up and paced around. "Waves of deep? You think that's what it means?"

"It could mean something else. It doesn't necessarily mean you have to go to the underworld." Grover insisted.

"Look," Nico said firmly. "You want to stop Kronos, right? Well, I think this is the best way to do it. Sure, you don't have to, it's your choice. But the prophecy basically said you'll die in the end. If you did this, you'd be giving yourself the best chance of survival."

"If he survives in the first place," Thalia grumbled. "Did you think about that?"

Nico looked affronted. "Of course I did. I wouldn't have even brought it up if I didn't think Percy could do it. I wouldn't purposefully send him to his death."

"You wouldn't, would you? What if your dad forced you too? Huh?" Thalia growled. "Do you really think we trust you completely, especially when if comes to Percy's life?"

Nico rose to his feet, gripping his hands into fists, his face pale. "You dare! If I wanted him dead, he already would be. I have powers that you can't imagine, Thalia!"

"Really? Then bring it on!" Thalia yelled, jumping to her feet and fingering her silver bracelet.

"Both of you, knock it off!" I yelled. "There is no time for this!"

"Thalia, sit down, before you electrocute something," Annabeth said, grabbing Thalia's arm. Thalia jerked it away, still glowering at Nico.

"I would never hurt Percy. Even if my father told me too," Nico said, breathing heavily.

"Sit down, both of you," Rachel cut in. To my surprise, they both did.

"Sure, listen to the mortal," Annabeth grumbled. Rachel ignored her.

"Look, I trust Nico," I said quietly. "I appreciate your concern Thalia, but the last thing we need is to fight among ourselves right now."

"You're one to talk," Thalia shot at me.

I stared at her. "Seriously, Thalia, what's your problem?"

She stood up again, facing me. "What's my problem? My problem is the fact that the whole world is teetering on the edge of the worst war ever and there is almost nothing we can do about it! And the only solution that we can come up with is you risking your very soul! Don't you think that is insane, Percy?" She took a deep shuddering breath and I could see that she was trying to get control of herself. She suddenly slumped her shoulders as if she was exhausted. "One of my friends souls has already been lost."

Everyone sat still. I didn't know what to say. Thalia hadn't had an outburst like that since we'd gotten together, but it was almost like she was going back to normal. Believe me that didn't make me feel much better. I also felt bad because she was really stressed out about Luke. I guess it would be weird, to wake up, find out you've been a tree, and then discover that you're best friend is a traitor. I'd never given it much thought before.

"Thalia," Annabeth said quietly. "You can't compare Percy's soul with Luke's soul. Percy hasn't given up the way Luke did."

"You mean," Thalia said in surprise, "that you're okay with this plan? I thought you of all people would object to it, Annabeth."

Annabeth looked down and her expression was so tired and sad. "I don't know if there is anything else we can do. I want Percy to have the best chance possible of winning. If he agrees to it, I won't try to stop him." She looked up. "I think Percy can do this."

"I agree with Thalia," Rachel blurted. "I don't think you should do it, Percy." Annabeth opened her mouth to reply angrily, but Grover spoke up.

"I agree with Annabeth and Nico. If anyone can save the world, it's Percy. And if he has to do this…" Grover took a shuddering gasp, "then he will."

Thalia glanced at everyone seated around the circle. She looked at me and I wondered what to do. Personally, I didn't really want to risk my soul, but if it would help me save my friends, I would do it. And so I knew at that moment, that I would.

"Thalia," I said, but she interrupted me with a sigh.

"I know. You'll do it, no matter what I think. But Percy, sometimes I think you do to much for your friends sakes. You risk to much of yourself."

"You'd do the same for your friends," I replied.

She stared at me. "I know I would. That's what worries me. Sometimes being a little selfish isn't a bad thing."

"I'm going to do it," I said firmly. "It's probably the only way. And Nico's right. I think that's what the prophecy tells me I'm supposed to do."

"I'm just wondering here," Grover said. "If you're going to… you know… do it, then why will a sword still, er, reap your soul?"

Annabeth stood up beside me. "We'll think about that later. I think Percy has enough on his mind for one night."

"Or one morning," Rachel said, looking up into the sky. The sky was pink with the rising sun. Rachel looked back at me and smiled. "We should all get some rest. I think we should leave tomorrow, Percy. That way…"

"What makes you think you're coming?" Annabeth interrupted.

Rachel glared at Annabeth. "Why else would Nico have called me here? Aren't we all going?"

"No!" both Annabeth and I said at the same time.

Rachel frowned. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want any of you to come. It's too dangerous. I know I'll have to at least take Nico. He's the only one that knows exactly where I need to go and he knows the details about what I need to do. But I don't see why I would need anyone else to come with me. Besides, Chiron will need you all to prepare for the war."

"Yeah, he probably will," Grover said. "Things aren't going to well at camp. I was there a few days ago. Kronos is recruiting demi-gods like mad. Chiron will need every person he can get. I don't think we'd be able to hold the Titan army off for very long. The Titans are stirring everywhere. You're father, Poseidon, is fighting the Titans of the sea. All the gods are busy trying to keep the Titan's in their different imprisonments. The satyrs are being worked overtime to try and find half-bloods to bring to camp before Kronos gets them. That's what I'll be doing. I'm sorry Percy, but I know that this time, I'm not supposed to go with you."

I nodded at him. Grover was one of my very best friends and I knew that things really had to be tough if he was deciding not to come with me. He'd gone through so much with me already I knew he wouldn't refuse this time just because he was afraid. Grover was just like that.

Thalia grunted. "I'm not usually one to back out on something like this, but I have the feeling my lady Artemis wouldn't let me go. I'll still ask her, but she'll need the hunters to help destroy the monsters that are waking. I'd go with you, Percy, but I think I'll be needed else where."

"Well, I'm coming!" both Annabeth and Rachel said at the same time.

"No," I said firmly. "I don't want either of you to come. I think it would be best if it was just Nico and me."

"I don't see why they can't go," Nico said. "It might be safer if we have at least Annabeth with us. Going into the realm of my father is always dangerous business. I think a daughter of Athena would be pretty handy in this case. But maybe you should stay, Rachel."

Annabeth looked smug while both Rachel and I glared at Nico. I definitely didn't want Annabeth coming with me. It wasn't that I didn't want her company, I just didn't want her to get hurt. True, Nico had a point. Annabeth was a genius when it came to plans, but her skills could also be used to help the camp.

"Oh, so it's okay if Annabeth goes with you?" Rachel said. "That is totally not fair! I'm Percy's friend too, and if it wasn't for me, you would probably all have died in the Labyrinth last year. You probably will need someone who can see through the mist."

"We aren't talking about the Labyrinth here," Nico said. "Believe it or not, there are worse things in this world. The underworld is one of those. The main problem with my plan is the fact that once we are there we can't help Percy, no matter how many people come with us." He looked at me. "But, maybe you should let anyone who can come with you. I mean if it's the last time anyone can see you don't you think…" Nico stopped, looking horror struck. "I didn't mean…"

"I get it," I said. "You think that I should let people come, just in case I die?"

He nodded. It wasn't exactly the most comforting and hopeful reason I'd heard, but it did make me think. If it was going to be my last time seeing my friends, who would I want to come with me? I'd want all of them really. But Thalia and Grover both couldn't come. Annabeth was one of my best friends and I'd like her to be by my side, but I didn't want her to be in danger. Rachel was awesome, of course, but if she came, Annabeth and her would probably fight the whole time. I tried not to blush when I thought about the possible reason for that.

"Don't separate me from this world again, Percy!" Rachel suddenly cried. "You have no idea how hard that is! You are all here, fighting together. I'm just a mortal who fell into your world. And I fell in love with it."

Annabeth pursed her lips, but Rachel continued. "I can't stand not knowing what happens to my friends. Sure, I can see through the Mist, but I don't have to fight monsters all the time like the rest of you." Rachel looked at me, her eyes determined and dangerous. "If you don't let me come with you, Percy, I might kill myself. I feel like I belong in this world. It's where I'm supposed to be."

I stared at Rachel. I'd never really thought about what it would be like for her. Sure, my mom dealt with the same type of thing. She kind of fell into the world of mythology and now she was half in it, half out. Now that I thought about it, I realized how hard that must be. I looked at Rachel.

"Okay. You can come."

Rachel beamed at me. She darted forward and gave me a hug. I blushed fiercely, especially because Annabeth was staring at us like she wanted to run a sword through us. Rachel pulled away, sort of. She left her arms around my neck. Thalia raised her eyebrows and Nico stared at his feet, frowning. I don't think Grover even noticed. He was chewing nervously on a soda can.

"Thank you, Percy," Rachel whispered in my ear.

"Uh, your welcome," I replied, clearing my throat.

Rachel let go of me, looking disappointed. I stepped backwards. I glanced once at Annabeth, but she was determinedly not looking at me.

"Okay, so we know who's going," Thalia said, getting back to business. "When are you going? Nico, how long do you think it will take you to travel into the underworld?"

He shrugged, looking warily at Thalia. He was probably afraid she was going to blow up again. "It really shouldn't take that long. I have some… er, advantages where the underworld is concerned. Getting out might be just a little harder, depending on whether or not you…" he glanced at me nervously.

"Whether or not I live, right," I replied, trying to sound calm.

"Well, yeah."

"Then let's leave tomorrow," I replied. "We might as well get it over with. I… I'm not sure I'll be able to do it if… I put it off."

"Okay," Rachel said, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. "We'd better go get some sleep and pack." She turned to Annabeth and said, "Aren't you excited?" Rachel winked at me and then ran toward the campsite.

Annabeth turned to me, looking grumpy. "Come on, Seaweed Brain. We'd better… er, get some sleep and … pack." She looked pained to be agreeing with Rachel. "And you've got an important message to send before we go."


	11. We Are Temporary Celebrities

We are Temporary Celebrities

I stared at the Iris-message as my mom and Paul Blofis turned toward me. Paul's eyes flickered nervously as he stared at me, but he didn't look too surprised. My mom must have told him everything. Well, I'd given her good reason to. I stared at my feet uncomfortably, my last encounter with my family running through my head.

"Hi, mom," I said quietly.

"Percy," my mom replied, a small smile on her face. "How are you?"

"I'm alright."

"How is Nico?" she asked.

I looked up and saw that her smile had extended to her eyes. I smiled back. "I think he's doing pretty good. He, Annabeth, and I are going on a trip together. I won't be home for a while."

Her eyes clouded with worry, but she nodded. "How long will you be gone?"

I shrugged. "I'm not really sure." I looked up and I suddenly wanted to fling myself into my mom's arms like I did when I was little. I wanted to tell her everything that was wrong and have her comfort me and tell me that everything would be alright. I stared into her eyes and found myself fighting back tears. This could be the last time I would ever see her again. Her eyes glistened and I felt an understanding pass between us. She nodded to me.

Paul stared at me and then smiled. "We'll have to invite Nico over when your trip is over. I like you hanging out with friends."

"Thanks, Paul. And… could you do me a favor?" I asked.

"Sure thing," he said beaming. "What can I do?"

"Take good care of my mom. She's the best person in the world," I said, determinedly not looking at her.

Paul looked confused but he nodded. "I will, Percy."

"I have to go now. I love you, mom," I said, trying to fight down the lump in my throat.

She stared at me as if she were memorizing everything about me. "I love you too, Percy."

"Bye." I stepped backward. Feeling broken, I stepped forward again. "Mom…" The connection broke and my mom disappeared. I stared into the empty air.

A hand touched my shoulder. "Percy," Annabeth said. "It's time to go."

I turned away and wiped my eyes. Her hand tightened on my shoulder and I turned to face her. I smiled at her and she smiled back. I couldn't help but notice that her eyelashes seemed a little wet. She took my hand.

"Let's go. We have a long journey a head of us," she said, leading me back to camp. "Just one more step."

"One more step to the end," I whispered. "Isn't that what everything has been? Just another step to the end?"

Annabeth stopped walking and turned to face me. She looked at me firmly. "I don't believe that, Percy. You shouldn't either. Remember everything that you've done. If everything that you've accomplished has been a step to the end, then you wouldn't have done it. Percy, you don't fight for endings, you fight for beginnings. I know that. I've fought for them with you. You'll keep fighting for them and so will I."

"Thank you," I said. I suddenly pulled her close to me and hugged her tightly. "You're amazing, Annabeth. Do you know that?"

She hugged me back, but didn't say anything.

"Ahem," someone coughed.

I looked around and saw Thalia standing behind us. She looked a little strange. She was wearing a silver tunic with a red cape over the top of it. Her hair was twisted elegantly on top of her head and I could barely make out a tiara placed among the curls. None of it fit with her dark make-up. "Nico and Rachel are waiting for you. Nico says he's found an entrance to the underworld."

"An entrance? He's found one already?" Annabeth stammered, loosening her grip on me, but she didn't let go.

"He's good at that sort of thing. The underworld is his specialty." Thalia didn't sound too happy about it.

"I thought…" Annabeth stuttered to a halt.

"We'd better go," I said, nodding behind me.

Annabeth looked up at me solemnly. She nodded and let go of me, but she grabbed my hand tightly as we followed Thalia back to camp. As we approached, Thalia suddenly grabbed her hunting horn from her belt and blew a single, clear note from it. Answering calls soon echoed from the woods, all of them rising and falling together.

"Um… Thalia, what are you doing?" I asked.

"You'll find out," she smiled at me.

Thalia blew on her horn again and the woods in front of us became brilliantly lit with tiny lights. Annabeth and I stared at them in wonder.

"Fireflies," Thalia said, gesturing up at the leaves. "Amazing, what Artemis can do."

The hunting horns sounded again and the hunters appeared, standing side by side on either side of us like a guard of honor. They wore shimmering clothes of pale silver that sparkled in the light of the fireflies. Each of them were crowned with tiara's. Nico and Rachel came out of the trees and stood beside me and Annabeth.

Thalia took her red cloak off and two hunters came up and took it. They spread it out in front of an entrance to a cave that I didn't remember seeing before. Artemis and Grover stood beside it. The cloak suddenly didn't resemble a cloak any more. It looked like a carpet that movie stars walk on. I stared around and realized that we were supposed to walk on it. I swallowed nervously.

Annabeth let go of my hand and I looked at her. She was staring in wonder as a hunter came up and draped one of their silver cloaks over her shoulders. It was decorated with a pale moon and a bow and arrow. Rachel beamed as a similar cloak was put on her. Nico's eyes widened as another cloak was placed on him I jumped as I felt someone touch me. I looked around and saw that a small hunter was trying to put a cloak on me. She blushed as I looked in her eyes and she smiled slightly. I bent down so she could reach my shoulders. She attached the cloak and stepped back.

The cloak was surprisingly warm for being so thin. It was also extremely soft. I ran my hand down it in wonder. I looked up at Artemis and bowed my head to her. I was aware that it must mean a great deal for a boy to be honored with wearing a cloak of Artemis's. I'd never heard of it happening before. She smiled at me.

"Rachel Dare," Artemis called.

Rachel stepped forward and walked down the carpet. She bowed in front of Artemis.

"Rachel, be faithful to your friends. Take your skills and use them for good. Do not take them for granted. You have been blessed by the gods to have them. But with such a blessing, there will be a price." Artemis kissed Rachel on the forehead. "You have my blessing."

"Will there be a price to it?" Rachel asked.

Artemis smiled, but turned away from Rachel. Rachel stood up and stepped back beside Grover.

"Nico di Angelo," Artemis said.

Nico walked to Artemis and bowed.

"Nico, you have already suffered a great deal in your young life. But your suffering has not been in vain. You have found friends. As I said to Rachel, be faithful to them. As you led them, think carefully. You know your father. You know yourself and what you do not know, you will come to discover." Artemis did not kiss Nico, but she placed her hand on his head. "You have my blessing."

Nico joined Rachel and Grover as Artemis called, "Annabeth Chase."

When Annabeth knelt in front of her, Artemis began, "Annabeth, there are many choices left before you. Chose carefully. Use the wisdom that you have been blessed with. Think carefully. But remember that wisdom can create conflict with the heart." Artemis kissed her. "You have my blessing."

"Percy Jackson."

I walked down the carpet. It felt like it took a long time. All the hunters' eyes followed me. I could feel the piercing gaze of the goddess as I approached. I knelt down at her feet, wondering what words of guidance, warning, and comfort she would give me.

"Percy…" she stared into my eyes and I felt a shiver run up my spine as my eyes met hers. "Good luck."

I stayed kneeling were I was, stunned, as she moved away from me. After a few seconds, I stood up. I joined my friends, carefully avoiding their gazes. It's hard to explain what I felt. It was a mix of confusion, irritation, and rejection. I felt inadequate, lonely, and sad. I also felt a sense of relief that I didn't understand at all.

Grover turned to each of us and gave us each a tight goat hug. "You all be careful. Think of me, okay?" he said.

"Kill some monsters for me," I said as we hugged.

"Sure thing," he smiled. "And if you see any tin cans, pick them up, will you?"

Thalia stepped forward. She embraced Rachel. Then she hugged Nico. She stepped in front of Annabeth. "Be careful and don't get hurt," Thalia said. Annabeth nodded. Thalia moved to me. She hugged me and whispered, "Don't do anything stupid."

"I can't help it," I answered. "I'm a boy."

She laughed as she pulled away. "You're okay for a boy." Her eyes grew sad as she looked at me. "You really are a great person, Percy. If every boy was like you, then this world would be a nicer place."

"It is time," Artemis said from the entrance to the cave. "Nico has discovered this entrance to the underworld. You will all need strength and courage for what is facing you." She looked into my eyes. "Do not lose yourselves. Hold on to the things that you love."

We strung our backpacks over our shoulders, which was kind of awkward with the cloaks. As we moved into the cave, I realized that Artemis had given me council, but she had masked it as council for all of us. I just didn't understand why. We followed Nico further into the cave. The cave entrance sealed itself shut as we walked down, concealing the beautiful wood lit with thousands of fireflies.

"Welcome to one of the many secret entrances to the underworld," Nico's voice suddenly rang out through the dark. "I know it's dark, but it'll only get darker, so don't complain. And don't disturb any of the skeletons; they don't like it." He chuckled to himself and then he became serious. "Actually, I think we'd all better hold hands. There are a lot of tombs and stuff down here and I don't want anyone to get lost."

Two hands suddenly grabbed for my left hand. One hand was triumphant, but within seconds, my other hand was seized.

"Nico," I said.

"Yeah?"

He didn't sound like he was close to me. That confirmed my suspicion. I couldn't help but think that if Thalia was here, she'd be laughing at me. "Never mind."

It didn't take long for me to realize that the sound of our cloaks swishing on the ground had disappeared.

"Did we lose our cloaks, or did we all grow?" I asked.

"We didn't lose them," Annabeth's voice said from my left. She'd won the hand fight. "Feel your arm."

"I can't feel my arm. Both my hands are taken."

"Then feel mine," she said. She ran my hand along her sleeve. It felt just like the cloaks did, but it wasn't a cloak; it was defiantly a sleeve.

"What…" I began.

"The cloaks transformed into jackets when we entered the underworld. They are easier to wear that way and easier to fight in, if you need to. They won't get caught as easily. If you felt the front, you'd realize that they even have zippers and pockets," Annabeth said.

"But don't you dare let him feel the front," Rachel's voice shot out sharply from my right.

"So," I said, trying to change the subject. I could feel furry emanating from both the girls. "Nico, how long will it take to get where we are going?"

"I'm not really sure. Time is strange here, like it was in the Labyrinth. You could say there isn't really any time here at all. Who knows, we could have been down here for a few days already. We could get where we need to go in just a few minutes."

"A few minutes?" I asked, my stomach jumping.

Annabeth squeezed my hand as Nico said reassuringly, "It's possible, but not likely."

Nico was right about one thing at least; it was impossible to be sure how much time had passed. My body didn't even seem to be working in the same way. I didn't really feel tired, but I didn't want to keep walking.

We stopped to eat and sleep after what seemed liked about a day. When we lay down, our Artemis jackets turned back into cloaks that we used for blankets. Our backpacks made makeshift pillows. That weren't all that comfortable, but they worked.

I found that I wasn't able to sleep. I sat up and looked around. I could barely make out the figures of my friends on the ground beside me. I looked around for Nico. He was supposed to be on guard duty. I thought that I'd switch him, since I couldn't sleep anyone. It would have been a nice thing to do, but it turned out I didn't need to. Nico wasn't there.


	12. Everything Goes Wrong

Everything Goes Wrong

"Nico?" I whispered.

There was no answer, just the echo of my voice. A shiver went up my spine. I looked around, trying to find any hint of where Nico went. I felt the ground by his bed. His cloak was still there and something else; a flashlight.

"Oh, that's nice," I muttered. "You had one the whole time and you kept us in the dark." I held the flashlight in my hand, debating whether or not I should turn it on. Nico must have had a good reason for not turning it on. But then, he was gone and I had absolutely no idea where he was.

A horrible thought hit me. Maybe Thalia had been right and this whole thing was a trap. There was absolutely no way we would be able to find our way back out without him. If he had brought us down here just to abandon us… It was a good plan if he wanted us to get out of the way. It sounded like something Hades would plan.

I flipped the flashlight on.

"Ow!" I yelled. It was extremely bright and I had stupidly shined it in my eyes. I dropped it and it rolled down the tunnel, the light spinning dramatically. If Hades hadn't known we were here before, he'd find out soon enough.

"No, no, no, no, no!" I yelled as I sprinted down the tunnel.

"Percy!" a cry came from behind me.

I didn't stop. I continued running at full speed, jumping over rocks and trying not to fall down the steep incline. If I'd been thinking properly, I would have realized that it was getting steeper and that I would never catch the flashlight just by chasing it.

"Percy!" I heard the echo of running feet behind me.

It was right about then that I realized that the flashlight had disappeared and that I was going way to fast to slow down. I couldn't see any more, but I knew what was going to happen, just seconds before it did.

"Stop running!" I yelled to my pursuers. "Stop awwwwwwwww!"

I couldn't help but scream as the ground suddenly disappeared from underneath me and I fell. It wasn't a very long fall, because a millisecond after I started to fall, I stopped. It was one of the strangest things that had ever happened to me. I stared down and saw a speck of light in the distance, tumbling through empty space; the flashlight.

"Whoa!" I yelled. I probably looked really stupid with my legs kicking in the air frantically.

I looked up and saw that Nico had a hold of my hand. His hand was still becoming solid, but it was solid enough that it had stopped my fall.

"Hold on!" he called.

I could see Annabeth and Rachel rushing down the slope toward us. They were running. If they didn't stop, all four of us would tumble over the edge.

"Slow down!" I yelled to them.

Annabeth skidded her feet and braced her legs against the side of the tunnel, sending gravel down into my face. Rachel tried to copy her, but she lost her footing. With a scream, she tumbled down toward us.

"Not good!" Nico yelled as she neared us.

A split second before she hit Nico, he jerked himself around. I cried out as his grip on my arm almost dislocated my shoulder. He flung his other arm around Rachel's waist. Amazingly, it stopped her, with only her feet dangling over the edge. Unfortunately, Nico was pushed almost off the edge and I slid further down the drop.

"Help me!" Nico cried to Annabeth.

Annabeth was already in action. She had tied one end of her cloak around Rachel's waist. She flung the other end around Nico. Tying the ends together, she had somehow managed to put Rachel and Nico in something that resembled a sling.

"Don't let go of Percy!" she yelled.

Nico and Rachel were suddenly jerked upwards and my arm felt like it was on fire. I was shocked to find that I was lying on the tunnel floor, staring up at the ceiling. We all lay in a heap, gasping for breath and coughing. Nico was still clinging to Rachel and somehow Annabeth had ended up right next to me. I looked at her and saw that she was shaking.

When we had all fully realized that we were alive, Nico and Rachel untangled themselves from Annabeth's cloak.

"This may sound stupid, but why did you wrap us up in that thing?" Rachel asked.

"It was easier to hold your weight if it was in a sling. I could pull you guys up without as much effort because it helped distribute your weight," Annabeth said simply, draping the cloak back on herself. It turned back into a jacket.

Rachel looked like she was trying to decide whether or not Annabeth had said something rude. Before she could come to a conclusion, Nico clambered to his feet, dusting his legs off and sighing. "Percy, do you want to get yourself killed? What the heck were you doing?"

I didn't answer. I sat up, rubbing my arm and feeling incredibly stupid. "That was really close."

"Too close," Rachel said. She stood up using the assistance of the wall. Leaning against it, she glared down at me. "He was chasing a flashlight."

"You lost the flashlight?" Nico gasped. "Oh, great! I was saving that in case we needed it!"

"I'm not the only one who has explaining to do," I replied hotly. "Where the heck were you?"

Nico looked taken aback. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, why weren't you on guard duty? I woke up and you were gone! I didn't remember you taking off whenever you felt like it being part of the plan."

"Wait a minute," Annabeth said. "Nico left?"

"Yep," I said. "Were you visiting your daddy? Were you telling him that I'm in his realm now and that he's free to kill me?"

"No!" Nico yelled. "You sound like Thalia!" He looked like he was going to hit me.

"Maybe she had more sense then I gave her credit for."

"If you weren't with your dad, then what were you doing?" Annabeth asked, her arms folded across her chest. She had taken a defensive stanch next to me.

"I went up to the living world to find out what the date was. I wanted to know how long we've been down here," Nico said, glaring at me. "I used my ring. It's really fast. I was only gone for about a minute."

"So, what's the date up there?" Rachel asked. She seemed to have accepted his story. I still wasn't so sure. Annabeth looked suspicious as well.

"We've been here for about two months," Nico said, stuffing his hands in his pockets and looking grumpy.

"Two months!" Rachel gasped. "But we've only slept and eaten once!"

"We think we've only slept and eaten once. But we really might have been asleep for several weeks. Like I said, time is different down here. It messes with your mind," Nico said, shrugging his shoulders.

"And your stomach," I grumbled.

Annabeth stepped forward. "How do we know that you're telling the truth?"

"I could have let Percy fall. If I wanted him out of the way, it would have been easy to drop him and make it look like an accident. But I happen to be on your side. And you need me down here. If I'm not with you, you'd probably all die. Percy would already be dead. And anyway, if you guys decide that you don't trust me and you go off on your own, I'll find you easily. What ever happens, you're stuck with me."

I sighed. "You've got us there."

Nico stepped forward and offered me his hand. "I promised Bianca that I'd help you. Can you trust me to lead you and get you out of here safely, if it is at all possible?"

I stared at his hand and then looked in his eyes. He looked absolutely sincere. I took his hand. "I trust you."

Nico led the way back to our beds. We packed everything up and continued on our journey. I was relieved that there was another way down to the depths of the underworld then the way I had discovered. It was unnerving to think about how long we had been down here though. It seemed like only yesterday that we had said good-bye to Grover and Thalia. But for them, we'd been gone for two months.

"I wonder how the others are doing," I said suddenly.

We were all holding hands again, moving further and further into the dark.

"I'm sure they are fine," Annabeth said. "Thalia can take care of herself. Grover will be fine too. He's got all those friends; trees love him."

"I miss them," I said. "I wish they were here. And I haven't spoken to Tyson in a while. He wasn't there when I talked to my mom."

"He probably went back to your father's forges. And don't worry. You'll see him soon."

"Yeah, when we get out of here," I murmured.

"Ouch!" came a cry from in front of me.

"Hey!" I said as I crashed into Rachel and Annabeth crashed into me.

"Why did we stop?" Annabeth asked. "Nico?"

"Shhh!" he replied. "Shut up and don't move."

We all stayed as still as possible. I stared around in the dark, trying to see or hear whatever had made Nico nervous.

"Well, our destination is right there," Nico said in a voice that sounded ice cold.

"So, why did we stop?" I asked.

"Because. They don't want us to get there."

A pale blue light suddenly broke through the darkness. I blinked rapidly, my eyes hurting after seeing no light in such a long time. I looked around as my eyes adjusted and then stared about in horror as Annabeth pulled out her knife and Nico touched his ring. We were completely surrounded by living skeletons.

Did I say living? Well, they were dead, but they were standing and staring at us with there empty eyes sockets. Each of them held a weapon in there bony hands and all of the weapons were pointed at us.

I drew Riptide and the skeletons suddenly took a step back. Annabeth glanced at me and rolled her eyes. She'd thought that I'd just done something stupid. It turned out she was right. The skeletons stepped forward again; this time, all of their weapons were pointed at me.

"Wait," Nico said. He sounded desperate. "They are with me. They aren't hurting anything."

One of the skeletons looked at Nico. "The others can stay with you," it said in a raspy voice. "But the son of Poseidon comes with us."

"Why?" Nico asked. Then he shook his head and glared at the skeleton. "I order you to leave. I order you to leave me and my friends alone."

The skeleton stared at Nico and then it made a strange hissing sound. It sounded like it was laughing. "We have orders from someone else and his orders are much more important then yours. It is your father, Lord of the Dead. We take the son of Poseidon with us."

"But… but… how," Nico stuttered.

"As you know, no one can enter the land of the dead without Hades knowing it. He knew you where coming. He allowed you to get this far. Son of Hades, you knew that your father knew you were here."

"Nico?" Rachel asked, sounding surprised.

"I thought he let us in because he was on our side! I thought he'd changed his mind and decided to help! He let me find the entrance to the underworld! He helped!"

The skeleton shook his head. "The Lord of the Dead had his own intentions. They were not yours." It turned to me. "Son of Poseidon, come with us."

"What if I refuse to come?" I said stubbornly.

"Then the Lord of the Dead will make sure that your friends never leave his realm again."

I looked at Rachel and Annabeth standing beside me. Both of them looked defiant, holding their heads high. I looked back at the skeletons, with their bloody weapons and empty eyes. I lifted Riptide and capped it.

"Percy," Annabeth said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm not going to let you get hurt," I said, not looking at her. I looked at the skeletons. "Take me to my uncle. I suppose I can hear what he has to say."

The skeleton smiled, if he could smile. "Take them," he said.


	13. Some Skeletons and I Drown

Some Skeletons and I Drown

They forced us to walk forward. Nico was with us, being forced forward by his father's soldiers. He was gripping his hands in fists. "Can't you leave the girls and me?" he said.

"No. If the Son of Poseidon needs persuasion, his friends will be available," a skeleton hissed.

"So will I," Nico said firmly.

"Your father will not hurt you unless he has to."

Nico didn't say anything. He looked confused and he glanced sideways at me. When he saw me watching him he looked down at his feet. "I'm sorry, Percy. I didn't know this would happen. I wouldn't have brought you here if I'd known."

"It's okay, Nico," I said. It wasn't okay, because I couldn't think of how we were going to get out of there. The thing that was driving me crazy was the fact that what we had come for was right there! We were right here and I couldn't do anything! If we could just get the skeletons distracted for a moment…

"Hey, Annabeth," I whispered, just loud enough that Nico could hear me.

"What?" she whispered back.

"I wonder what these skeletons would think if they were suddenly buried again. They probably wouldn't like it," I said. Annabeth raised her eyebrows at me. Rachel sort of coughed. I glanced at Nico and saw his eyes widen. He glanced around at the skeletons, then looked at me and shook his head. His eyes narrowed as I kept talking. "I bet if they were buried for just a few seconds, they'd feel like they were drowning."

"I don't like the idea of drowning," Annabeth said. She looked at me sadly and I knew she understood. She took my hand and squeezed it tightly. "They'd have to hold on to something tightly."

I nodded. I looked at Rachel and smiled. She didn't smile back, but she nodded. Nico was watching me, his hands gripped even tighter at his sides. I looked into his eyes.

"Don't forget anything," he murmured.

And then, the earth split. A thundering sound filled the air as the ground the skeletons were standing on gave way. Nico was sweating with the effort, but I wasn't around to watch. I had already sprinted away from the group of skeletons as they tumbled to the ground. I ran for all I was worth, trying hard to focus my mind on one single part of my body; the small of my back. I kept my eyes on my goal. In front of me, flowing smoothly as it had for millions of years, was the River Styx. Achilles had swam in it and survived and become practically invincible. I'd heard the story many times.

But as I neared the river, the resolve I'd made wavered and I slowed down. I stared into the waters depths. If I could swim in it and come out alive, then I'd become almost impossible to kill. If I swam in it and I wasn't fully committed, then I would burn and my soul would be destroyed. That's what you have to face when you decide to swim in the river of the gods.

I thought about the prophecy, made so long ago and told to me only a while ago. This was what I had to do if I wanted to help save the world. Kronos's golden eyes flashed across my mind. I gritted my teeth as new determination swept through me.

I didn't even hear the sound of the earth coming back together, or the yells of the skeletons as they tried to figure out what had happened. Instead, I thought as hard as I could about my back. If I lived, it would be my one weakness.

I stepped off the side of the river bank and my foot touched the water.

Immediately, I felt like I was on fire. I fell into the river, holding back a scream as pain racked my body. My clothes burned off my body. I fought to keep my focus. I tried to think about what was important; why I needed to do this and what I had to accomplish. I focused with all my strength on what I was fighting for: my friends, my family, the world. But the pain became so strong that I almost lost myself. I almost forgot who I was.

Annabeth's face suddenly burst across my vision. She smiled at me and I felt knew strength surge through my body. Before I knew it, I was rising out of the water and launching myself at the bank.

As soon as I was completely out of the water, I felt amazing. I still felt like I was me; Percy Jackson, but I also felt so much cooler. I looked down at myself and saw that all my clothes disintegrated, but I was miraculously wearing Artemis's cloak. I didn't even remember having the jacket on when I jumped in the river. I was relieved, though. It was nice to know that Artemis had thought the whole thing through. It was also nice because I wasn't naked, which is always a bonus.

I gazed around and saw that the skeletons were frozen, staring at me, their jaws open. Nico was looking at me like I was the coolest toy he'd ever seen. He ran up to me and handed me an extra shirt and some pants. I turned around and pulled them on. My cloak turned back into a jacket and I turned around. Annabeth was staring at with an awed and slightly bewildered look on her face. Rachel was jumping up and down, clapping her hands. I presumed she was celebrating the fact that I hadn't died. I probably should have been celebrating that fact as well, but I had other things on my mind.

I looked at the skeletons cruelly. "I believe I have a meeting with my uncle."

They lead us to the center of Hades realm. It seemed to me that they were taking longer then they usually would have. I suppose, even when you're dead, looking the Lord of the Dead in the face and telling him you failed him isn't exactly fun. It didn't feel like we were being guarded any more. It felt more like we were simply being escorted. There was a swagger to Nico's walk and he was smirking. He glanced at me and his smile grew wider.

As we walked, Annabeth took my hand. I glanced at Rachel to see if she'd noticed and was going to dive for my other hand, but she was staring straight ahead of us, her eyes slightly glazed over. I didn't have time to wonder if something was wrong with her because at that moment, we entered the throne room. I dropped Annabeth's hand and Nico and I lead the way into the room.

Hades was gazing at us with a must disapproving scowl on his face. He seemed to be aiming most of it at Nico, but I got enough of it to know that he wasn't happy. Nico seemed to be feeling a mix of shame and pride as he stared at his father.

All four of us bowed when we reached Hades feet.

"Rise," he murmured. His voice sounded like death itself. We all stood up, but he didn't say anything for a full minute. His gaze fell on each one of us in turn. When he looked at Nico he sighed. "What am I going to do with you? You are in no way devoted to me."

Nico stuck his chin out. "I'm devoted to whoever is fighting to bring down Kronos. If you are, then I fight with you."

"Have you ever thought about what our kingdom will gain if we win this war against the Titan Lord?" Hades asked. "I'll tell you. Nothing. We'll still be the butt of the family. We'll be shunned and left with the worst of everything."

"But isn't that better then what would happen if Kronos took over? He'd destroy everything! He wouldn't grant you power."

"How would you know that?" Hades asked. He didn't sound like he was scolding Nico; he just sounded interested.

"Because Kronos is a power-hungry maniac. He'll keep everything for himself. He may promise you power, but he wouldn't give it to you," Nico replied.

Hades smiled. "I actually already know that, Nico. And I've decided not to fight for Kronos in this war."

"You have?" Nico asked in surprise.

"Yes. But I've also decided not to fight for Olympus either."

"What?"

Hades leaned forward on his throne and touched the tips of his fingers together. "I have decided to remain neutral in this war. That way, which ever side wins, we will be fine. Things may get worse; things may get better. Only time will tell."

"But…" Nico began.

"Uncle," I said, stepping forward.

He glared at me. "Percy Jackson."

"Isn't it better to try and take fate into your own hands, instead of waiting to see what fate gives you? I think you should choose to take a stand in this," I said.

Hades smiled. "You have decided to take fate into your hands, haven't you? Your little swim proved that. Did you enjoy it? Was the heat high enough for you?"

I shuddered as I remembered the burning sensation and the pain. Hades smirked at me. It was remarkable how much that smirk looked like Nico.

"You may as well know that the reason I have decided not to take a stand is because of you, Percy Jackson," Hades continued.

"Me?" I asked in surprise.

"Yes. That swim you took today decided it for me. Before that, I had almost made up my mind to join with Kronos, but…" Nico made a sound of protest and Hades looked at him. Nico grew quiet and Hades turned back to me. "But, when you swam in that river, I saw it as a step closer to the gods actually defeating Kronos; a much larger step then you may think it was. I had originally planned to bring you down here and then capture you. You would have made a very nice gift to Kronos. Luckily for you, you escaped my soldiers," he cast a dark glare at them, "and managed to survive in the River Styx."

"But, Lord Hades, sir," Annabeth said, stepping forward. "Don't you think that you should fight with the gods. You are one of the them and they are your family."

Hades examined Annabeth closely. "What has my family ever done for me? For that matter, just because I am "one of the them," as you say, that doesn't mean I want to fight for them. Look at the rest of our family. Kronos's armies are made up of quite a lot of them." He gave her a meaningful look and she grew quiet.

Hades looked back at me. "You have taken a step to defeat Kronos. It will still be a difficult thing to do, but you've given the gods hope. That is what stays my hand in fighting my family. I will wait out this war. Who knows, if the chances become high enough that you really will win, I may actually join you on the battlefield."

"Lord Hades, if you aren't giving Percy to Kronos, what are you going to do with us?" Rachel asked.

Hades turned to her. His eyes clouded as he looked at her. "You are the first mortal to see my realm and live to tell the tale."

"That does mean we'll live, doesn't it?" Rachel asked.

Hades actually chuckled at that. "Yes. I am sending you all home. Camp-Half Blood and my family apparently need your help."


	14. Things Get More Confusing

Things Get More Confusing

I blinked and gasped. Hades realm was gone. I was standing in the middle of camp, swaying slightly and having absolutely no idea how I'd gotten there. Campers in orange t-shirts had frozen, staring at me, Annabeth, Nico, and Rachel. I looked at them. They looked as bewildered as I felt, but Annabeth seemed to shake it off the fastest. She looked around and approached the camper who was closest to us.

"Clarisse."

"You're not dead," Clarisse said, folding her arms across her chest and eyeing each of us in turn. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me.

I raised my eyebrows at her. Clarisse and I had never exactly been the best of pals. "No, not yet," I replied coolly.

Clarisse nodded. "Well, I guess that's good."

"Better than good," Nico said, breaking into a huge grin. "Percy! You did it!" Before I knew it, the kid was giving me a bone-cracking hug. "You really did it! I can't believe it! I mean, I can, of course, cause it's you…. But you did it! I was sure you were a goner, but… I mean, of course you weren't a goner…."

"Wait? What did Percy do?" Clarisse asked, pushing Nico off of me and glaring at me. "What's happened?" she addressed the later question to Annabeth.

Annabeth looked at me, a smile in her eyes. "Oh, Percy just became the most powerful demigod yet."

"Oh brother," I said.

"Yeah, for once I agree with Percy," Clarisse said with a laugh. "Oh brother."

"No, seriously," Nico said.

Rachel folded her arms. "Yep. Anyone who wants to challenge him can find out."

"Woah!" I said. "No!"

Clarisse fingered her armor. "Do I understand this right? Squid wants to fight me?"

"No," I said, at the same time that Nico, Annabeth, and Rachel said, "Yes!"

"Come on, kelp-head," Clarisse said, grabbing a spear from her cabin-mate, who backed up quickly. The rest of the campers had gathered around to watch. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you. At least, I won't hurt you enough to kill you."

"Trust me, you won't hurt him at all," Nico said softly.

"Look," I said, "I'm really tired. Can't this wait…"

"No!" half the camp shouted at me. That was the bad thing about a camp where fighting was actually fun. People liked to see the best take on the best, shake things up a little. They got tired of just seeing normal fights. If there were any normal fights at camp-half blood.

"Yeah, Percy, show us that you're the most powerful!" Clarisse said. "Or do you want to run away to your bathtub?"

I sighed. I soooo did not want to fight right now. It wasn't that I was afraid of Clarisse. In fact, I really was not afraid of her at all. I just felt really tired. Whatever I'd done when I jumped in the River Styx did not seem to make me immune from that human weakness.

"Sword!" Annabeth yelled, as Clarisse launched herself toward me.

She didn't need to. Riptide was already half-way through the air as Clarisse brought her spear toward my face. I blocked, shoved, and back flipped over Clarisse's head.

"Woah," I whispered.

Clarisse lunged toward me again. I dodged it with lightning speed, brought my sword down on Clarisse's spear, and snapped it in half.

The camp was silent. I looked up and saw that everyone was staring at me. Nico looked like his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. Annabeth was smiling at me, a satisfied smile on her face.

"You just defeated Clarisse in about four point three seconds, Percy," Annabeth said.

"No way," I said, looked at the warrior in front of me.

Clarisse looked completely stunned. "No way!" she echoed me. Her face darkened. "Again, Jackson!"

Grabbing a sword, she came at me again. Three seconds later, her sword skidded across the ground as I knocked it out of her hand. Spitting hair out of her mouth, she grabbed a javelin and threw it at me. I dodged it easily. The campers were cheering and clapping, yelling and laughing. I felt like laughing. This was easy! And then I felt confused. Why was this easy? Could it be… but, no way! I didn't think it was possible that one swim in the river of the gods could do this. Sure, Nico had told me it would make me invincible, but this fast, this strong? I had no idea that this would happen. And then I made my mistake. I got cocky.

"Come on, Clarisse!" I said, smirking and holding my head high. "Is that all you've got? Thought your dad would make you more powerful then that."

I should have seen the danger in her eyes as she yanked a bow and arrow out of one of Apollo's kids arms. "For Ares!" she cried, as she let the arrow fly through the air.

Ares, apparently, wanted to teach me a lesson. The arrow flew straight at my heart. I gasped, but didn't seem able to move. It hit me with full force and I feel to the ground.

"Percy!"

Before anyone could more than two steps toward me, I sat up, gasping for air.

"Sheesh," I said, rubbing my chest and fingering the hole the arrow had made in my shirt. I picked up the arrow that had miraculously bounced off my skin. "Clarisse, that could have killed me."

"That… how… you…" Clarisse stammered. The rest of the campers seemed to be feeling her shock. They stared at me, looking like fish out of water. Nico broke the silence.

"It worked!" Nico said. "It really…."

"Percy."

I turned around and found Chiron staring at me. His eyes were wide, surprise etched in every line of his face. "Percy, what have you done?"

"What have I…" I stammered, "I thought you'd be pleased."

"Pleased? The risk you took? The position you've but yourself in? You want me to be pleased about that?"

"But, Chiron, the prophecy," Annabeth began, stepping forward, but she stopped as Chiron raised his hand for silence.

"Yes, the prophecy," Chiron said, looking at Annabeth. "You told him what it says?"

"Lady Artemis told me it was time for him…" Annabeth grew quiet, looking solemn.

"Percy, Annabeth, Nico, come up to the Big House, please." Chiron turned and began trotting quickly up to the house.

Without looking at each other, we quickly fell in line behind him. It was strange. A moment ago I'd felt like a hero. Now I felt like a little kid who'd done something wrong. I definitely liked feeling like a hero better. And I couldn't help but wonder what on earth I'd done wrong. I mean, sure, you're technically not supposed to swim in the river of the gods, but I wasn't the first person to do it. And, after hearing the prophecy, it seemed to fit. Wasn't what I'd done right? Didn't it fit with the prophecy?

We all sat down when we reached the porch, sitting around Dionysus's table. The god was sitting there in his typical shirt, his hand full of poker cards. This time however, he was not looking at his cards. Normally, he tried to pretend he didn't know my name or that he didn't care about me at all. Now, he was staring at me, his eyes blazing with light. I couldn't tell if he was angry.

"Lord Dionysus," I said.

He observed me gravely. "You, Percy Jackson, have angered the gods."

Annabeth looked at me, biting her lip. Nico stared at his hands, looking guiltly. Suddenly, I didn't feel nervous anymore. I shrugged my shoulders and said, "What's new?"

For just a moment, Dionysus looked like he was going to laugh. He looked back down at his cards and suddenly seemed perfectly normal. I looked at Chiron. "Really? Is that the only reason you're worried? That I've angered the gods? Cause, seriously, it isn't like I've never done that before. One of them is always trying to kill me or something."

"Percy, you haven't just angered the gods. You've struck great fear in their hearts," Chiron said calmly.

Dionysus snorted. "Well, I wouldn't say fear."

Chiron looked at the god. "What would you say?"

"I'd say…." Dionysus shuffled his cards. "I'd say you made them nervous."

"Fair enough," Chiron said, turning back to me. "You've made the gods nervous. Very nervous. By swimming in the River Styx, you made a major move in this war."

"Yeah, my dad said something like that," Nico said.

"You're father speaks the truth. Percy has now taken the fate of the world, you could say, into his own hands."

"Which makes the gods nervous, because, if you haven't noticed," Dionysus said, "you're hands are very small. Prone to weakness."

"Prone to weakness? What's that supposed to mean, Chiron?" I asked.

"Percy, I think the gods were sort of hoping the prophecy wasn't about you. Now, you've kind of proven that it is," Annabeth said quietly. "So, they are nervous because now they know that you're the one who will either…."

"Save them or destroy them? And they are really scared… er, nervous that I'll mess up. Cause now it seems obvious that the prophecy is definitely about me, but the prophecy could end either way, good or bad."

"Well, yeah."

"Oh." I sat still, thinking things over. "So, they aren't sure what to do now, huh? I've sort of messed up their plans."

"Some of the gods have faith in you. Others… others aren't so sure," Dionysus said, looking at me again. I got the sense he was an undecided. "Lady Artemis has faith in you. Though why, I have no idea, since you're a boy and she doesn't generally have anything to do with that sort. But, anyway, she has faith in you, so that is why she thought you should hear the prophecy. However, the gods had already decided that we didn't want you to hear it. Ever. Not until after you either won the war, destroyed us, or proved the prophecy was not about you at all. Now you've heard the words, you know what it's about, and you've taken a major step toward deciding the fate of Olympus."

"Hades said that I've given the gods hope. He said I'd made a step in helping the gods win the war," I replied. I kind of really wanted the gods to be on my side in this case, since it might be really helpful in the end.

"We don't know what will happen, Percy," Chiron said.

I stared at the centaur. "You think I'll betray them? You know that I won't, Chiron!"

"I thought I knew the same thing about Luke, Percy." Chiron looked down and for just a second, I thought I saw tears in his eyes.

"Percy isn't like Luke."

I turned and stared at Annabeth. So did everyone else.

"Percy… he's different. He won't do what Luke did. I know that about him," Annabeth said. She looked at me and then, she took my hand. "I believe in you."

Staring into her eyes, I suddenly remembered the kiss she'd given me. It seemed like ages ago, but I wanted to give her one now. Right now. Who cared if the gods hated me? Annabeth didn't.

I know that sounds kind of cheesy, but that's what I was thinking. Then I got called back down to earth.

"Luke was once Percy to you, though, Annabeth Chase," Dionysus said. I jerked my head toward him, feeling like he'd just sliced me with a knife. "Do not think the gods have been oblivious to the connection."

Annabeth's eyes filled with tears. She clung to my hand, but I pulled away and stood up. "What?" I asked.

"Percy…"

"You know," I said, sounding a lot calmer then I felt, "I'm really really sick of hearing about Luke. So maybe we could just shut up about him… like, forever?"

Dionysus laughed. "Oh, young hero! Of course, you do not see it yet! Don't you understand that in the end it will come down to you and Kronos? Don't you know that it means it will come down to you and Luke? You know that."

"I know that," I said. I'd thought about it so many times it made my head hurt.

Dionysus shook his head. "Percy Jackson, there are so many things you don't know, so many connections you do not see. _That_ is why the gods are nervous."


	15. Dad Doesn't Kill Me Yet

Chapter 15 Dad Doesn't Kill Me...Yet

Hit. Dodge. Punch. Roll. Over and Over. Again. Hit. Dodge. Punch. Roll. Repeat.

"Percy Jackson," a quiet voice said.

I ignored it; focusing on repeating the exercise I'd perfected an hour ago, but couldn't stop doing. It was easier to keep working out than to think. I rolled again, coming up in time to stab Riptide into the squishy dummy that I'd already killed three dozen times.

"Percy Jackson, I have message for you."

I stood up, letting Riptide hang limply at my side and calmly wiping sweat from my forehead. "Do you want to kill me?" I asked, not turning around. "Cause I'm not exactly in the mode to face death again today." It was totally disrespectful, but I too upset to care about that sort of thing.

"No," Hermes said. "I have a message for you from your father."

I turned. "You don't usually deliver messages in person unless there is something in it for you. No offense or anything," I added as an afterthought.

Hermes smiled a little. "You believe that you know that god's well. Then again, we often think that we know our children well. I suppose it is a flaw we all suffer from." He sighed and looked so depressed I almost felt bad for him. Almost.

I capped Riptide and it shrunk back into a pen. I walked over to the little pool in the corner of the room and took a long drink before turning back to Hermes. He was sitting down on one of the stones we used to sharpen our swords, gazing out into the sky. I observed him, part of me wanting him to go away, and part of me wondering what the god was thinking. Was he thinking about Luke, the war, or how many messages he needed to deliver?

"Okay, shoot," I said, folding my arms across my chest. "What's my dad want me to know? Or do? Or not do? Or did he scold me?"

Hermes didn't look at me, but tossed a package towards me. I caught it, looking at it critically. It was cylinder in shape and wrapped in silver paper. Writing was scribbled across it. It said, in Greek letters, "To Percy Jackson. From Dad."

Yeah, really sentimental.

Part of me wondered what my dad would think if I didn't open it, if I just set it down and walked away. I was tempted to. But my curiosity won over. It wasn't every day a demigod got a package from their parent, much less delivered by the messenger god himself. Plus, I'd probably already mad the gods mad enough today. It'd just be asked for death to ignore a gift right now.

I cautiously ripped the paper open, trying not to look really interested. The paper fell away and I found myself staring at a glass cylinder filled with water. It was about the size of a normal glass of water, but with a seal tight lid. I stared at it, waiting for something to happen. Anything. A wave or signal. A message. A little boat to be stuck inside it. A pet mermaid.

Nothing.

"Wow," I mumbled. "Thanks dad. I might get thirsty sometime."

"This came with it."

I looked over at Hermes. He was holding out an envelope towards me, his eyes scanning my face. I walked over and took the envelope from him. I wished he'd look away. Before, the guy wouldn't look at me. Now he didn't seem to know the meaning of personal space. I cleared my throat, but Hermes didn't look away. I kind of wanted to read the letter without the god staring at me. He didn't seem to pick up the hint. Sighing, I slit the envelope open and pulled out the blue paper that was inside.

_To Percy:_

_This is more than it appears to be, much like you. DO NOT DRINK IT UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY! _

"Hmmm," I said, feeling very grumpy. I folded the piece of paper and was about to stuff it in my pocket when Hermes said, "Read the back."

I stopped, looking at him, before turning the paper over.

_This will bring you home, my son. You may not believe this, but no son of mine has ever made me prouder. _

I'm pretty sure that's the longest note that a demigod ever got from their parent, but that wasn't the reason I was suddenly blinking back tears. I folded the paper much more gently than I had before and slid it carefully into my pocket, practically cradling the little glass of water in my hand. My dad was proud of me. Who cared what the other gods thought?

Lightning flashed in the distance.

Oh, that's right. Zeus cared.

"Percy," Hermes said. "What Chiron spoke before is true. You have made the gods nervous. All the pieces are in place. Now we're just waiting to see who makes the first move. Kronos won't wait much longer to take on Olympus. And the gods will need the demigods. They'll need you. Don't do anything that will prevent you from being around, okay?" he said, standing up and placing his hand on my shoulder.

"Sir," I said, "Why did you really come to deliver that package in person?"

Hermes looked at me solemnly. "I had a son who made all the wrong choices. He didn't believe me when I said he made me proud. I wanted to make sure you got the right message. I came in person to make sure you really knew what is riding on your shoulders now. The fate of the future rests on you. Percy Jackson, do not place your own needs and desires above those of the world. Now is not the time to be selfish."

"That's cryptic," I mumbled.

He smiled. "Not really, demigod. You have a choice; yourself or your world. The time will come when you'll have to choose. Be wise."

He turned and walked away, vanishing before he reached the edge of the pavilion.

I had a funny feeling that I'd just been told I'd better start preparing, one way or the other, to die.


End file.
